Against The 6 Billion to 1 Odds
by ShizukaNe98
Summary: "She's not your fan, Kise. She's a fan of everybody." Girls only hang out or watch basketball just because of the famous Kise Ryouta. That is, until she appeared. "This is not the real me." Who says love only has one definition? "Even against the population of the world, we still found each other! The sky is amazing. It connects us." "I won't live for you. I will live with you."
1. Chapter 1 Small World

**I cannot stop my overflowing addiction towards KnB so please... bear with me. **

**I used to hate Kise because he was really annoying. Now, I'm head over heels in love with that playboy jerk. D: He's so full of himself, it kills me. UGH WHY SO PERFECT?**

**Anyways, please bear with me. **

**I DO NOT OWN KNB.**

**I only own Gale-chan~**

* * *

Kasamatsu had no idea what to do. They had to keep going, that's for sure. Even though they are currently taking a break from basketball, he knew they shouldn't be in a break for too long. He groaned as he walked along the hallways of the school, leading to the first floor lobby. "Let's see… though there are no basketball games coming up for us… we still need to at least warm ourselves up…" He said, yawning. He skidded down the stairs, and finally reached the first floor lobby. He was suddenly taken aback at what he saw.

All over the bulletin board were identical consecutive posters and flyers. "W-what is this…" His eyes gazed past the many posters until he stopped at the last poster, which was still currently being posted. He blinked in confusion, staring at the small girl who had her back turned. He slowly walked toward her, ignoring the fact that her hair looked like the northern lights due to its purplish blue hue. "Ah… excuse me…" He cleared his throat. "Hmm? Oh, hi, captain!" She held out her right hand to her forehead, saluting him. Her icy blue eyes sparkled with delight and she had a smile on her face. Kasamatsu blushed at the recognition. "Y-you know who I am?" His eyes darted to the ribbon. Now that she's facing him, her ribbon looked more like cat ears. "Of course I do! Ya-chan told me all about you and the Kaijo team!" She held out her two index fingers in front of her.

Kasamatsu was a bit too surprised to see someone greet him so lively. "And… you are?" He asked, scratching the back of his head. "Shiro-desu! But that's not my real name!" The young girl's ribbon twitched as if they were _real_ cat ears. Kasamatsu just stared at her with wide eyes and a very confused look on his face. "My real name is Galanthus! My friends call me Gale. But you're Japanese so you can just call me Shiro! Or Yuki! 'Galanthus' is the scientific name of the snowdrop flower. 'Yuki' means 'snow'. And 'snow' is 'white'. 'Shiro' means 'white'!" She said excitedly, as if she was so proud of having many different names. "Ya-chan said my school's basketball team is a great team. Your team is not like the other teams because you have great teamwork!"

Kasamatsu wasn't sure how to react to that lively description via a hyper girl saying it with pure bliss. "Y-Ya-chan?" He asked, wondering if this girl has loose screws in her head. Kasamatsu was never the type to interact comfortably around women, knowing that he would only stutter and shake in nervousness, but at this point, he wasn't even sure how to react to this unusual girl standing about 5 foot 2 inches tall and is currently fangirling over the Kaijo basketball team. How did the topic get from her name to the Kaijo team? "Kuroko Tetsuya! You don't know him? He's my cousin!" The topic abruptly changed from Kaijo to Kuroko. Kasamatsu wondered if there was an end to her talking. "He's really cool! My cousin can take advantage of his weakness, which is his lack of presence, to something very deadly! Don't take your eyes off of him if you wanna win!" Now Kasamatsu was sure that this girl _does_ have a loose screw in her head. They've just met today. Why does she keep talking as if they were two close pals who haven't seen each other for years?

He was about to walk away when he felt a hand tug his shirt. He sighed and proceeded to massage his temples. "Waaaaaiiiiit! Captain, I'm not done yet! You have to listen to this! Ya-chan has a new move! You can stop him, right? I can't wait to see Seirin and Kaijo go against each other again!" She just kept on talking. Can't she even read the atmosphere that Kasamatsu is going to be late for his next period? He then wondered if he could trick this girl into leaving. "… You should go back to posting up posters and flyers, you know." He managed to say, even if he was aware that the bulletin board is already tampered by the same poster. "Oh, that's right! Well, see you, Captain!" The young girl skidded past the lobby and disappeared out of Kasamatsu's sight. "… For some reason, I still feel the tension even if she already left." He sighed before going back to class.

* * *

"BASKETBALL! BASKETBALL! I wanna see Ko-chan shoot some hoops!" A young girl ranted. "B-but, he can't shoot, right?" Her companion answered. The two of them looked odd together, knowing that their appearances were so different from each other. "I cut my afternoon classes, you know! I had to visit you here, you know! I wanted to see how Kurocchi is doing!" the other girl suddenly burst, her eyes gleaming as if it was the actual night sky with dozens of stars.

As the two girls walked on the road, they didn't notice a group of young men watching them from behind, embarrassed. "… Kuroko please tell those fangirls of yours to at least try not to yell out your many nicknames so proudly…" Hyuuga was face-palming. "I didn't know you had pretty cute fans, Kuroko. Lucky!" Kiyoshi patted Kuroko's back. Kuroko sighed heavily. "… 'Ko-chan'? 'Kurocchi'? Hey… they're making it sound like you're their pet." Kagami found himself close to bursting into laughter.

"… I don't know them."

"EH?"

* * *

Kasamatsu was sitting on the bench with very menacing aura. "O-oi… Kise, do something…" Moriyama urged with a cool look on his face. Dread immediately appeared in Kise's eyes. "W-w-why me? There's a huge chance that I get kicked on the face no matter what I say!" The freshman complained. They all looked at Kasamatsu once again. His aura was like that of the Grim Reaper. "… I can hear you, idiots." He said as his eyes turned to them. Each and every one of them started shaking. Kasamatsu stood up, sighing. "… That was just a brief moment but I felt tired entering that girl's high tension atmosphere…" He mumbled as he walked past them. Kise and Moriyama froze in their places. "Did he say… 'girl'?" Moriyama asked. "SENPAI! Congratulations! Did you finally get a girlfriend? Hey, who is it? Tell me the details!" Kise suddenly went all hyperactive, nudging Kasamatsu with his elbow. He only got kicked as a response. "IDIOT! That wasn't what I meant!" The captain yelled, causing more tension.

When it seemed like everything has already calmed down, Kasamatsu cleared his throat. "There's this odd freshman who calls herself Kuroko's cousin around the school." He started. "Kuroko's cousin? They why was she here in Kaijo? Shouldn't she be—wait… is she cute?" Moriyama asked. "IS SEARCHING FOR CUTE GIRLS YOUR ONLY HOBBY? Anyways, HOW THE HECK WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW WHY SHE'S IN KAIJO?" Kasamatsu yelled once again. Kise and Moriyama almost grabbed onto each other out of shock. "But she did mention something about Kuroko's deadly technique or whatever. I wasn't sure if she was joking. All I know is, her endless talking made me tired for the rest of the day." Kasamatsu sheepishly bit his lip and sighed. "You can go home now, if you want. Practice is over!" He announced before grabbing his bag and heading to the changing room.

* * *

In the changing room, he wasn't expecting a towel to come flying towards him. Kasamatsu looked at the door to see Kise, grinning like an idiot. "What?" The captain asked, flinging the towel over his shoulder. "I thought you didn't know how to interact with the ladies? It seems you got along well with that cousin of Kurokocchi." Kise teased, not noticing a shoe flying to his direction, hitting him on the head. He clutched his head in pain. "Shut up! Geez…" Kasamatsu hissed. Kise went back to smiling like an idiot. "I never knew Kurokocchi had a cousin studying here. Same year as me, too! Hmm… maybe she's one of my fans or—" "She is not _your_ fan, Kise. She spoke to me as if she was a fan of _everybody_." Kasamatsu cut him off before the blonde could finish talking. That statement surprised Kise. Usually, some girls in school only watch them play when Kise is on court. But… was there really a girl who seemed like she was a fan of _everybody_?

When they both finished changing back to their uniforms, Kasamatsu tossed the towel back to Kise. " I didn't even use that towel. By the way, if you're wondering about that girl… I think her name was Shi— no, wait… was it Yuki? Gale? Galanthus? She mentioned too many names, I can't recall which one's her real name." He said, his head hurting from taking in too much info from the girl. Kise just stood there, his face filled with confusion.

* * *

The Seirin team was always walking home together. It was rare for them to leave at least one member behind. "About those two girls who were screaming Kuroko's obvious nicknames… I wonder what has gotten into their minds that made them want 'to see Kuroko shoot some hoops'." Riko brought out the topic after noticing the tense atmosphere. "Did you see their eyes? Even from afar, I could tell how night and day clashed whenever they made eye contact with each other." Koganei commented. Kagami's eyes darted to Kuroko, who was carrying Tetsuya No. 2 so calmly. "… You don't know them, right? You said so yourself." He asked the blue-haired young man. Kuroko stared back at him. "I don't." Kuroko only managed to say. "Then wh—" "YA-CHAAAAN!"

Everyone turned around in bewilderment to see a young girl running towards them in a very, _very_ lively manner. "It's a surprise to see you walk home alone so late." Kuroko walked towards her, leaving his companions in a state of confusion. "Hey… don't tell me that's Kuroko's real girlfriend?" Hyuuga whispered. "W-what? But he already has Momoi, right?" Izuki whispered back. "Not to mention… those two girls who were talking about him in school today…" Kiyoshi mentioned with a serious expression on his face. Mitobe just nodded. "W-wait… how many girls can he get?" Hyuuga was already panicking. Riko just stared at them with a face that says 'I-am-surrounded-by-idiots'.

"Hey! How's practice? Hey, I heard you have a lot of fangirls now!" Everyone's attention was focused on the young girl. Her eyes were so much like Kuroko's… except hers were like ice. "Well, I did see two girls…" Kuroko mentioned, which made the young girl tilt her head. "Oh? You should have said 'hi'!" The young girl scolded him. "… Only girlfriends scold their boyfriends, right?" Izuki asked his fellow teammates once again. "Y-yeah! That means she's—"

Kuroko turned to his companions. "… This is my cousin, Gale." He motioned towards the young girl. "It's a pleasure meeting you!" She bowed down, leaving very dumbfounded expressions on everyone's faces.


	2. Chapter 2 Hero

**I update fast, right? HAHAHA.**

**Nah, I already made 5 chapters. I just wanted to update one-by-one.**

**Good luck with me. I also have to finish my Ouran story. EHHH I MANAGED TO MAKE IT REACH 30+ CHAPTER. HURAAAAH~**

**I wonder how far this one would go?**

**I DO NOT OWN KNB.**

**Just that annoying young girl bearing aurora beams on her hair and icicles in her eyes.**

* * *

It was a boring Wednesday afternoon.

Even though Kise was exempted in Physical Education classes, he still chose to go to the soccer field, anyway. He was just there to watch his classmates do their sports. He was bored to death, anyway, especially when he knew that there wouldn't be any practice after classes today. "When's the next tournament?" He asked himself as he sat on the bleachers. He lay down. The sky looked so clear. It was blue, and there were but a few clouds enough to shield the sun's rays. His eyes were about to droop slowly, as if he was in a trance…

"Don't sleep here. A ball might hit you on the face, you know." Kise's eyes quickly opened and came in contact with the clear blue sky once again. Wait… this wasn't the sky. "Oh, you're awake!" The small voice said yet again, and Kise realized that he wasn't looking at the sky. He was looking into the person's blue eyes. He sat upright, his heart beating rapidly. He looked at the young girl who was just staring back at him in wonder. "U-uh… do I know you?" He asked, sheepishly scratching the back of his head. He had no idea who this girl was nor does he know why she's here. He was positive she wasn't his classmate. "Hm, no. I don't think you know me. I just happened to see you here while I was sitting over there." The young girl pointed to a spot not too far away from Kise. "You're that famous Kise, right?" She started laughing. Kise knew what she was going to say. He knew that she was just going to mention about him being a famous mod—

"You're that member of the Kaijo basketball team, right?" She asked, her eyes sparkling. Kise looked at her in shock. She knew him as the Kaijo team's _member_? She didn't even mention him being a model nor did she even mention him being the ace of the team. "A-ah, sort of." Kise grinned. He was wondering why a girl with hair shining like northern lights and eyes as bright as the blue sky was here, trying to start a conversation with him _without_ asking for his autograph, picture, or number. "Anyways, I was just about to leave. I was only worried that you'd fall asleep right here. Not a very likable place to rest, you know. See you!" She waved goodbye before taking a step backward and… she completely forgot that the bleachers had stairs, huh?

"Watch out!" Kise quickly stood up and grabbed her arm. He was surprised that her arm was so thin and fragile against his rough hands. He pulled her toward him and before they both knew it her head was against his chest. "Ah, thank you! That was close." A breath of relief escaped from her mouth. Kise only looked at her with pure amazement. She was small… about 10 centimeters smaller than him. She didn't even react or faint or squeal in delight or go crazy when she realized that she was against his chest. _His _chest. The famous Kise Ryouta's chest. She just thanked him casually.

She then went down the stairs, with Kise only watching her. "Hey!" He called out. She looked back at him even though she was already halfway down the stairs. Kise bit his lip, not knowing what to say. "U-umm… It would be unfair if you know my name yet I don't know yours." He chuckled. "Ah? My name? How do I say this… my real name is Galanthus, but it might be hard for you to pronounce. You can call me 'Shiro'!" She exclaimed. Kise's eyes widened. Those two names… weren't those two of names Kasamatsu mentioned while he was talking about Kuroko's cousin?

Kise smiled, finally getting a grasp of the situation. "… Gale? Yuki? Hmm… Snowy… how about Snowy?" He smiled. Gale's facial expression immediately changed. "… I'm not a dog!" She cried out, stucking her tongue at Kise. "A-ah, I'm sorry! But it's kinda cute!" The blonde held out his hands in front of him. Gale squinted her eyes. "… Well… can't help it… geez, giving me a new nickname even though we've just met…" Gale muttered under her breath before leaving the field.

Kise didn't realize it, but he was smiling.

* * *

He had no idea where to go.

He would usually be at the gym. But now that their gym is down for cleaning, he had no idea where to go. "Should I go visit Kurokocchi? Or Midorimacchi?" He sighed. He blankly walked out of the gate. From afar, he could have sworn he saw northern lights. No, wait… northern lights? Wasn't that the color of—

A car swerved to the right. Kise panicked. "Hey!" He yelled tackling her to the ground to avoid getting hit by the car. He heard the driver yell some curse words as he sped away. "… Ouch.." Her voice was barely audible, since her face was against Kise's body yet again. After noticing the death glares of some girls in the area, Kise quickly stood up. "That girl should be sorry! Kise-kun sacrificed his safety for her!" One girl said, obviously a fan of Kise. "How dare she pretend to be in danger just so Kise-kun could save her? Dirty tricks!" Another yelled. Kise looked around, wanting to calm them down. "A-ah, it's not really her—" "Nah, it's my fault. If I hadn't crossed the street when that speeding car appeared, your clothes wouldn't have gotten dirty." Gale stood up, brushing the specks of dust from her uniform. Kise faced her once again. Wasn't she mad? She didn't even react to the spectators' insults. She just stood there in front of him, smiling as if nothing's happened. "Thank you. You saved me for the second time today. See you!" She quickly ran off, not giving Kise a chance to say anything. He watched her disappear from his sight slowly. "… It almost feels like… she'd just melt away…"

* * *

This was the third time.

The third time they saw each other in place with lots of people. "…This is starting to get pretty normal to me." She laughed. Kise felt really awkward now. "S-Snowy…" He could only say. She placed her hands across her chest and looked up at him. "Well! Isn't it odd? We keep seeing each other in places where there are lots of people, yet we never even saw each other in the hallways of our school!" Gale laughed, not even sensing the atmosphere. Even Kise found it odd. He never saw her before. The first time he saw her was this morning, too. "I wasn't expecting to see you here, too…" He laughed nervously, unable to focus on finishing his milkshake. This time, he saved her yet again. She was getting scolded by one of the staff when she realized she lost her wallet when he went in the fast food chain. He paid for her food and before he knew it, they were now sitting on the same table. Gale was looking at him with wide soulful eyes. "Hey, don't call me Snowy. You sound like you're referring to some pet or whatever. Just Shiro! Or Gale! Yuki, if you want?" She suggested, but Kise was feeling awkward now. This was the first time he ever felt awkward with a girl. "I can't call both you and Kurokocchi the same nickname." He said, knowing that she's the phantom man's cousin. The young girl pouted. "I wasn't asking you to give me a new nickname! Besides, we've only met this morning…" Gale's voice trailed off just right after she realized that they only just met this morning so why has she been seeing him everywhere since they met? She looked outside the window, contemplating on her thoughts. Kise found himself staring at her, since he wasn't used to seeing her so quiet now. He also knew that he does not have the right to act like he's "used to her being talkative" because they are just acquaintances. What made them… _know_ each other too well in just one day?

He didn't even have time to ask her. By the moment he gazed upon her once again, she was clutching her chest with a pained look on her face, unable to breathe.

"… Snowy?"

* * *

This was the fourth time he saved her.

When she woke up, all she saw was white.


	3. Chapter 3 Golden Stars

**Three chapters in one day will be enough.**

* * *

"You okay?" She turned to the direction of the voice, her eyes adjusting to the brightness of the white walls and ceiling. "… Ya-chan?" She immediately smiled as soon as she saw her beloved cousin, sitting on a chair beside the bed. She then realized that she really was in bed. "… Why am I here? Who brought me here, Ya-chan?" She then sat upright, even though her chest felt like it was going to burst. "Kise-kun called me, saying I should go to the hospital immediately." Kuroko said, placing his hand on her forehead. "You're cold." He muttered. Gale just smiled at his concern. "He saved me for the fourth time when he brought me to the hospital. Too bad I couldn't thank him." She huffed, obviously not in the condition to talk. "You should avoid talking. Your lungs…" Kuroko said, standing up to adjust the air conditioner's controls. Gale inhaled deeply, ignoring the chills. "That was no coincidence, right, Ya-chan?" She asked. Kuroko didn't say a word. He didn't even look at her. He opened up the curtains, only to see a starless night sky. Gale lay down on the hospital bed, wanting to rest a bit more. There was only silence between them, it wasn't awkward.

"… That's right. It was no coincidence. Are you going to keep on making it too obvious that you're sickness is taking its toll upon you and is now affecting your senses? Falling from the stairs… almost getting hit by a car… forgetting your wallet…" Kuroko would have sounded like he was scolding her if it weren't for his calm way of saying it. Gale hissed, covering her face with one pillow. "I'm going to die soon, anyway." Her muffled voice was heard, annoying Kuroko. He went near the hospital bed, and snatched the pillow. "… You are unusual. You keep on showing a lively disposition in front of others, yet the real you is just a pessimistic weak girl who only complains about having to die." He said. Gale didn't even bother to look at him. She covered her whole head and body with the blanket, trying to ignore him. Kuroko didn't bother to remove the covers this time. "… How long are you going to keep pretending?" He asked her, even if he knew he wouldn't get any response. The girl was clearly ignoring him. Kuroko decided that it would be best to leave her be. "… The both of you go to that fast food chain regularly and yet, you don't notice each other. It was odd to find out that the two of you were sharing tables just hours ago. Even if you two weren't sharing tables, I'm sure Kise-kun would have noticed a person who was suffering an asthma attack." He mentioned before he left the room.

Gale removed the blanket. She stared at the door blankly. "… It wasn't coincidence. It just so happened that we don't know each other before…" She mumbled to herself. She then slapped herself for thinking too much, exhaling deeply. "What does that guy have to do with this? Geez… Ya-chan's making things complicated…" Gale huffed, sitting upright once again. Her hair was like a mess but she didn't bother fixing it. "… I'm leaving this hospital tomorrow morning. School awaits me." She smiled, her eyes gazing at the window. "Starless…" she mumbled.

* * *

"How long are you going to keep staring at the ceiling?" Kasamatsu asked, his left hand on his hip and his right massaging his temples. Kise didn't even look like he heard him. He was just sitting on the floor, his eyes fixed to the ceiling. "I know what's wrong with him..." Moriyama stopped playing for a bit, wiping all the sweat off his forehead with a small towel. Kasamatsu looked at him, raising his eyebrows. "Love." Moriyama smiled.

A large basketball was thrown straight at Moriyama's face. "YOU'RE NOT HELPING!" Kasamatsu yelled. Kise quickly averted his gaze from the ceiling to Moriyama. His face didn't look lively, sad, or angry. He had a look of innocence upon his perfect features, surprising Moriyama as soon as their eyes made contact. "It's not anything like love. It's just... too much of a coincidence." Kise suddenly spoke up, his voice soft. Both Kasamatsu and Moriyama blinked their eyes in confusion, wondering what Kise ate for lunch today that made him sound so melancholic. "... So it really is about a girl, huh?" Moriyama grinned, cupping his chin with his right hand and nodding to himself.

When it came to girls, Kasamatsu was perfectly clueless. He may be the captain of the team but he had no idea what to say when the topic is now about women. He chose to remain silent. Kise started laughing, his voice echoing throughout the gym, making the other players and their coach stare at him with weird looks on their faces. "H-hey! You're scaring us!"Kasamatsu scolded, backing away a little. It took a while for Kise to regain his composure, still clutching his stomach in pain. "I'm sorry... it's just... I'm not even sure if I should treat her as a real girl. I mean, what would you do if someone just randomly approached you while you were just chilling on the bleachers? What would you do if the same person almost got hit by a car and you saved that person? I mean, if I weren't there... I wonder who could have saved her... or maybe she won't be saved at all." Kise started talking nonsense, rendering everyone speechless, especially those who just recently went near him to check why he was laughing. "... He's gone mad." Kobori whispered. "And what would you do if you saw her again in the fast food chain, getting in trouble with the staff for buying food and forgetting her wallet? If I weren't there... who could have... saved her? When she suddenly got an asthma attack... I wonder if anyone would help her..." Kise's voice started going softer the more he speaks. Moriyama's smile grew wider. "So it _is_ a girl..." He mumbled. Genta, their coach, sighed. "What's this about, Kise?"He asked sternly. Kise quickly turned to him with wide eyes, realizing that everyone was already in a circle around him.

He was about to speak up and say something to defend himself, but Kasamatsu beat him to it. "Who knows? Even if you weren't there when she almost got hit by the car, the car would most likely stop and she would have noticed that car and jumped away, anyway. Even if you weren't there at the fast food chain, she would have just cancelled her order, anyway. Even if you didn't know who she is, you would have helped her, anyway. That's just your personality."

Everyone looked at Kasamatsu in admiration. He is their captain, after all. "... Is that so..." Kise started laughing again. Genta sighed again, but this time, he was smiling. "Back to practice." He blew his whistle, motioning for everyone to go back to work.

* * *

Practice was quick. Everyone was sweating it out, all happy and tired at the same time. Bottles of water and towels were being tossed around the benches. Even though Genta left early, the players were still up to train. "Let's call it a day." Kasamatsu said, panting. They were all about to go into the changing room when they heard a loud scream from inside the room. "W-what the—" Kasamatsu reacted. "That was Hayakawa, wasn't it?" Moriyama pointed out. Kise quickly rushed inside, opening the door with great force.

What they saw surprised them. "… Snowy?"

* * *

"_Just where do you think you're going, young lady?"_

_A girl with long black hair had her hands on her hips and is tapping her right foot impatiently on the floor. "A-ah? I, uhh… Haha…" Gale rubbed the back of her head, chuckling nervously. "Kuroko Shiro! You are not allowed to leave until the teacher dismisses us. The teacher will be coming in just a few minutes. Get back in here." The raven-haired girl ordered, fixing the position of her glasses as light shone on the lenses. "Umm… technically, my real name is Galanthus, but… yeah. Shiro is good, too. I'm not going to cut classes, Miss Prez. In fact, classes are already over. Adieu!" And before the president could protest, Gale ran off. She quickly left the school building and went straight to the bleachers. "It should be around here… somewhere… damn it… where did I drop it?" She cursed at herself. While she was still searching for something, little did she know that a guard was doing his rounds in the area. "Hey! Don't you have classes?" She quickly turned around and face-palmed. "Crap…" She ran swiftly down the bleachers and away from the guard. She looked for an open back door as she skidded past the sports facilities. "Ah! The basketball gym!" she said. She kicked open the back door, still hearing the guard's voice from behind her. She then went inside quickly and locked the door. _

_She slumped to the floor, exhausted. "It was just a short jog… but I feel… so…" She could hear the sounds of the shoes of the basketball players on court, even if the back door was on the other side of the gym. She crawled helplessly to the locker rooms, until she fainted._

* * *

Everyone was stunned and some were frightened to see a young girl, asleep on the floor. "A dead—" "SHE'S NOT DEAD!" Kasamatsu interrupted as soon as Kobori started talking. Kise went near her figure and kneeled down. "How'd she get in here?" He was about to touch her forehead when a fist came in contact with his face. "ACK! WHO ARE YOU? DON'T TOU—Oh, Kise." The sudden outburst shocked everyone. They were even more shocked when she changed her mood so quickly. "Oh, am I—WAIIIIT. You're the Kaijo team? OH MY—THIS CAN'T BE TRUE! The whole Kaijo team is right in front of me!" She stood up quickly and was jumping and flailing her hands. "THIS IS AMAZING! SHE'S EXCITED TO SEE US!" Gale's screams were accompanied by Hayakawa's loud voice which only made things twice as worse. Kasamatsu smacked the back of the former's head. "My ears are—"

"W-why are there so many voi—"

"K-Kise! Make yourself useful and tell her to sto—"

"But she p-punched my face too hard!"

"ACCCCCK! Kasamatsu-senpai! I'm so glad to see you again, Captain!"

"S-Snowy, calm—"

"Kise-kun? You're here, too?"

"Of course I'm here! I'm a member of this team!"

"Didn't you just come from the fast food chain?"

"That was yesterday! Are you still half-asleep?"

"N-no! Don't you come there regularly?"

"I do, but—wait, how'd you-… YOU WERE STALKING ME!"

"NO, YOU IDIOT! WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD STALK YOU?"

"Technically, Kise is a popular model so lots of girls in their _right minds_ would stalk him."

"EVERYBODY SHUT UP!"

Everyone's eyes turned to Kasamatsu who looked like he was going to murder a single person who dares talk. He was panting heavily and was glaring daggers at everyone. "Alright… first of all, stop arguing about Kise! And… you… you're, uhh, Gale, was it?" Kasamatsu thought for a while. Gale's face immediately brightened up. "Ah, you remembered!" She nodded to herself proudly. "… Honestly, who wouldn't remember her?" Kise sighed, not knowing that the young girl heard him. "Do I give off flashy first impressions?" She asked the blonde. Kise bit his lip, wondering what he would say. "… You attract trouble and chaos too much, Snowy… I mean, the first time we met, you almost fell off the bleachers." He sighed, smiling like an idiot; sparkles filled the air around him. Moriyama cleared his throat. Usually, he would ask for a girl's number or name, but this time… he wasn't sure about this rare species of a woman. "… And the first time _we_ met, you were… invading the bulletin board with random announcements…" Kasamatsu sighed, finally calming down. "Ah, that… You see, I offered my help to the Astronomy Club. They wanted to post up announcements about searching for constellations and stuff. It was nothing, really!" Gale waved both of her hands.

Kise approached her slowly, not wanting to get punched or argued with again. "Come to think of it, there were no stars last night and I don't think any would appear tonight, too." He commented. Gale looked up at him, just now, noticing the glimmer in his eyes. "… Um.. Stars are supposed to be white or blue or silver, right? I mean, when you look at them in the sky…" She mumbled, unsure of what to say. Kise tilted his head. "… I don't really know anything about stars or any of that sort." He grinned.

Gale smiled. "… You're wrong, Kise. There are still some stars tonight. Only they're golden, not blue nor silver nor white." She said as she gazed upon his eyes, making the rest of the team wonder. Kasamatsu tensed up, wondering what has gotten into the two idiots that made them look at each other in wonder. "… You keep on barging in the weirdest moments. We were just about to go home." He reminded them, his attention focused on Gale. The young girl quickly looked at him and laughed. "Ah, right! I should get home, too! Sleeping on the floor had- ACHOO!"

This time, everyone sighed. Even Hayakawa, who would usually be very noisy, was sighing. "… You know, if you really want to see us so badly, then why don't you just come here tomorrow?" Kasamatsu suggested, although he had no idea why he said that. He quickly covered his mouth, his eyes wide. Even his team mates looked at him in shock, with their mouths wide open. It almost looked like they were saying 'WHY DID YOU SAY THAT?'.

Too late.

"REALLY? I CAN WATCH YOU GUYS PRACTICE? Thank you, Captain!"


	4. Chapter 4 Show Me

"So you got invited by Kasamatsu to watch their practice tomorrow?" Kuroko poured hot water on a glass carefully as he moved along the kitchen. Gale sat on the floor, her legs under the coffee table and her head on top. She looked dead-tired, as if she didn't get any sleep. "Yes, Ya-chan…" She groaned. Kuroko set the glass carefully on the table and sat on the floor, opposite of her with the table between them. "That's good." Kuroko smiled with kindness.

Gale looked up at his face, her head still resting on the table. She then sat upright and began to drink her milk quietly. Kuroko watched her wipe her mouth carefully. She coughed hard and sneezed, making Kuroko narrow his eyes. "… You caught a cold." He said. "I fainted on the cold floors of the Kaijo changing rooms." Gale grinned as if it wasn't a bad thing. "You were tiring yourself too much, that's why you fainted." Kuroko looked straight into her eyes, their blue eyes blending together. Gale shook her head in disapproval, wondering why she's not as hyper and annoying when at home with her cousin.

She knew Kuroko was the type to keep his cool even when angry. She didn't really like it when he's angry, though. "Ya-chan, while it is true that life is cruel, it doesn't mean I just have to waste away my energy. I have a weak body, Ya-chan, but I am still alive. So why not just live?" She smiled, standing up and taking her glass of milk with her to the sink. "How can you even live if you don't know your reason for living?"

Gale chose not to say anything anymore.

* * *

He could not focus.

Actually, none of them could focus. They had no idea why they were winning. It was the regulars against the newbies. It was unfair, but at least the newbies could get trained well with powerful opponents. They couldn't focus, because they knew that a huge fan was watching them from afar. They were still winning, anyway. Kasamatsu drove past one tall newbie, as he struggled to keep the captain on his post but failed. The captain was then guarded by two experienced trainees. He quickly passed the ball to Kise. The blonde dribbled past them, knowing that their opponent made a terrible mistake not to keep him in check and dunked. Their score rose. The girls were heard screaming and yelling Kise's name. Kise turned his head to look at _his_ audience, showing them his sweet smile which only made their hearts melt due to utter perfection.

Gale was on the bleachers, tilting her head in wonder and confusion. "Is it normal for dozens of girls to be here while there are practice matches?" She asked herself. Her eyes watched Kise, noticing his appearance for the first time. She encountered him four times, even to the point of being against his chest twice, and she never noticed how good-looking the guy really was. "… But, he looks like he's so full of himself…" She sighed, wondering where he got all those _girls_ and why does he have to keep on smiling and waving at them every single shot. "Geez, doesn't that make him too much of a ladies' man?"

She then decided to ignore Kise's play because it was slightly annoying her every time he has to smile like an idiot at his team mates or at _his_ audience. Gale is childish, too. She smiles like an idiot at time, too, but she knew when she needed to stop and observe her surroundings carefully. She realized that some people are already engulfed by their idiocy. She then turned to Kasamatsu, who was perfectly doing his turn-around drive. "He sure is as great as Ya-chan described him as." She found herself smiling. She obviously had great respect for the Kaijo team's captain, although not to the extent of liking him as more than that.

Her eyes gazed at Hayakawa. He was great in retrieving the ball. She remembered how Kuroko used to steal the ball with his "invisibility". Moriyama caught her attention as he performed his perfect unorthodox shot right in front of her eyes. She saw him look at her and wink. She tried to stop herself from laughing right there. "Same with Kise. Ladies' man. I just don't get why Kise's the only reason why there's such a noisy, annoying audience here." Gale absentmindedly remarked, unaware that she, herself, is a "noisy audience" when she's alone with the Kaijo team. She then looked at Kobori, who was defending the posts. "His large build makes him a great center." She mumbled to herself. If anyone could hear her right now, they would have thought that she's a rare fan. She's very unlike those other girls who only scream and shout when the team takes the scoreboard. Gale was the type to analyze the players' movements and see their capabilities.

"The regulars win!" Genta announced, blowing the whistle.

Gale stood up, ready to leave the gym. A small smile can be seen on her lips. "They really are the best." She laughed to herself as she turned around. "Gale-chan!" Moriyama's voice echoed along the gym, surprising Gale. She looked down at the court and saw him urging to her to come down. "… I have to go home. Ya-chan will kill me." She nervously chuckled, waving her hands at the tall young man.

She was distracted, however, by the fangirls' screams. "Kise-kun was so hot!" One said. "Kise-kun is amazing! Kise-kun, I love you!" Another yelled. "Kise-kun, please marry me!" Well, that was an awkward proposal. "Kise-kun! Take me to your bedroom!" This was getting really disturbing and that statement just gave Gale the shivers. "The heck is wrong with those girls?" She sighed.

Moriyama was watching her in awe, wondering why she was looking at Kise in an annoyed kind of way. As far he knew, girls never look at Kise that way. "… She really is unusual. Plus, she's not that hyper today." He muttered under his breath. Gale turned to Moriyama once again and grinned like the usual idiot she always was. "Sorry! I have to go. Tell Captain to rest well since I know the match today was tiring!" She bade goodbye, quickly running to the exit.

She didn't notice the pair of golden eyes watching her disappear from his sight.

* * *

Of course, she lied.

She was in that fast food chain again where she and Kise met for the fourth time. She was always eating alone there and preferred it that way. "… Basketball.." She sighed. She blindly watched the cars go by the window where she was sitting beside on. She preferred her table just next to the window so she could at least watch the sunset in the afternoon until there was nothing left but the dark sky.

"Snowy!" Her thoughts were interrupted by a familiar, slightly annoying voice. She looked up at the person, her eyes wide and emotionless. "Kise?" She asked, still unable to believe he's alone. The blonde smiled and rubbed the back of his head. "Uhh… can I sit here with you? If you don't mind…" He suggested, unable to get in contact with her eyes. He was afraid that if their eyes met, ice and fire would definitely clash between those gold and blue orbs. She nodded, finally smiling. Kise sat down and set his tray on the table. Gale just went back to staring at the sky outside. "You like the sky?" Kise asked, catching Gale off-guard. "H-huh? W-well…" She stuttered, unsure.

She didn't know if she liked that sky or anything. "Well, you obviously do, Snowy!" The young man enthusiastically commented, his eyes shining like sunshine. Their eyes did meet, causing them both to shake in bewilderment. Gale saw perfect light in his eyes. Kise saw aurora beams in hers. "Nobody's asked me that question, Kise. You were the first one, you know!" She admitted, her face blushing from embarrassment. "Eh? But… it's pretty obvious. I mean, whenever I see you, you always look at the sky randomly." Kise remarked, rendering Gale speechless.

She found herself laughing loudly. Her laugh was so unladylike that everyone was looking at her. "Ah! S-Snowy! This is embarrassing!" He tried to scold her, since he obviously didn't want people to think that an idol like him is like babysitting some girl who had blue and purple aurora beams in her hair. "I-I'm sorry! But, you know, Kise… Ya-chan was right about you. You really are observant! Well, I wouldn't be surprised because you _are_ the copycat after all, but… I only look at the sky for brief moments in less than a second and you still notice?" Gale finally started talking to him, Kise thought.

He knew that this was the Gale that Kasamatsu met in front of the bulletin board. "So you know me as the copycat?" He was flattered, and he didn't know why. It was normal for him to hear people comment about his ability, but this was the first time Gale has actually acknowledged him. The first time they met, she only described him as a m_ember_ of the Kaijo team. Gale blushed, which only made Kise smile.

"Of course! Ya-chan told me! I know all the abilities of the Generation of Miracles, but I didn't actually know who they are. It took me a while to find out that you were one of them." _Ouch_, that was what Kise wanted to reply. "You don't really look like a player, if you ask me." Another arrow was struck through his heart. This girl is trying to drive him insane. He let out a fake laugh, unable to decipher what she's trying to tell him. At that moment, he knew that he was having trouble trying to read her. "You haven't seen me anywhere else? Magazines, billboards…" He tried asking, but Gale only stared at him and blinked innocently. "Ha? Why would you be in magazines?" This time, Kise was definitely falling over and dying in his mind. HOW COME SHE HAS NO IDEA WHO HE IS?

He massaged his temples, still trying to plaster on his fake smile. "… I am a model, Snowy." He finally admitted to her, wondering if there would be a change in her reactions. "REALLY?" Her eyes finally gleamed in admiration. Now that was what he was expecting since the start of this conversation. "But, you know, I don't really care about showbiz or what lies beyond magazines or who the models are, though." There was the painful fact again. "Besides, Kise, I think you look like a normal high schooler."

Kise slammed his hands on the table out of frustration, surprising Gale. "SNOWY! You're too blunt!" He cried out, before sulking. To his dismay, Gale only laughed at him. "Sorry. I'm sorry, Kise! But you can't really blame me, right? I mean, I'm the type of girl who doesn't bother finding out famous people's names!" She yelled, standing up and striking a finger at his forehead. "W-what? You're a girl, Snowy! A girl! You're supposed to be interested in those kinds of things and not just staring at the sky all day!" Kise complained, standing up. "Why did you stand up? You're making me look really small, you know!" Gale complained back, setting up another topic which caused Kise to get pressured. "That was a random topic, Snowy! You're too random!" The customers inside the fast food chain were now watching the both of them argue about silly things. They were quite amused.

Gale reached out to pinch Kise's cheek. "You were the one who started going berserk just because I had no idea who you really are!" Kise held her wrist, preventing her hand to reach his cheek. "But you said I looked _NOTHING_ like who I really am! That was cruel, Snowy!" Their argument was reaching the point of nowhere and none of them even realized it. They were both just annoying each other without any reason at all. "I wasn't cruel! You have to prove to me how great you really are as your fans say!" She pulled out her hand and took four steps backward. She pointed at him and smirked. "I'm your fan, Kise. I'm only your fan because you carry the Kaijo pride like the rest of the team does. But as an individual, you have to prove to me who Kise Ryouta really is!"


	5. Chapter 5 You'll Be Fine

"Uhh, why did you bring me to a basketball court?" Kise asked, looking at the street basketball court with an innocent look on his face. Gale ignored his question, taking something out of her bag. To Kise's surprise, it was a basketball. "You bring basketballs to school?" His eyes brightened up, noticing that the girl liked basketball though it wasn't pretty obvious in other's eyes. Kise is a perceptive person, which made him notice things faster than anyone else.

Gale started dribbling, slowly at first until the speed of her hands increased. "I can't dribble while running since I don't really play basketball." She admitted, although her eyes were focused on the ball. Kise took a defensive stance. "Nothing's wrong with trying, Snowy." He grinned. Gale's eyes widened, wondering if this was the challenge.

She smirked trying to watch his movements. "I see. You're copying Kobori's defensive stance." She commented. Kise looked at her in amazement. "You can tell?" He asked, laughing. Very few people would have noticed it and it made him happy that this person who had no idea who he was nor how to play basketball is one of those few. He stood up straight cutting off the game.

Gale stopped dribbling the ball and it just fell to the ground and rolled until it stopped by Kise's feet. The blonde had his mouth covered by his hand as he chuckled quietly. "You know, if you have continued defending and I have continued dribbling, I know that I couldn't have passed your defense." Gale smiled, staring at the sky once again.

It was already dark and the sky had a lot of stars tonight. The first thing she noticed was the crescent moon. "I just don't get why you decided to copy Kobori's defense. We both know you could have done well with your own defensive stance." Her right hand cupped her chin as if she was thinking. Kise picked up the ball carefully. "… That's because you told me to prove to you who 'Kise Ryouta' really is."

He started dribbling, running towards the basket. For the first time, Gale watched him with her eyes wide, completely amazed. His blonde hair kissed by moonlight, his determined amber eyes focused on his target, his speed which made him seem like he was flying, and the smile on his face depicting his enjoyment – it was enough to carve his existence. As soon as he reached the line, he jumped in for a dunk. Gale could have sworn that his dunk didn't copy anyone. It was his style. Everything was in slow motion in Gale's eyes as Kise looked like he was dancing in mid-air as he gracefully landed. The ball reached the ground and started rolling away. There was a moment of silence between them.

Gale's eyes lit up until she started laughing the unladylike laugh she showed in the fast food chain a while ago. "E-eh? Did I look funny?" Kise asked; a bit worried about what she saw in his play that made her laugh that much. "N-no! It's just… at first you copied someone else's style… then you used your own play. It's confusing, but it sure got me going!" Gale walked towards her basketball, picking it up.

"But if you asked me… even if you copy someone else, the point is, you are still Kise Ryouta. No matter what play you show the audience, copied or not, it's still _you_ playing. That's what matters." Gale turned her head back towards him and smiled. Kise's mouth hung agape at her reaction. He blushed, flattered and a bit happy. He was always happy when someone recognizes his capabilities. "Ah… thank you, Gale." He said, his voice almost that of a whisper. Gale's eyes widened and she stared at him for a while. "Did I do something weird again?" Kise asked, worried that the girl might start another childish argument or ignore him or say something blunt again. "No. It's just… you called me 'Gale'…" She mumbled. Kise quickly covered his mouth in response. "Sorry! If you want, I can just call you by your last name or—"

Kise stopped talking as soon as Gale started laughing again. This time, she was covering her mouth and clutching her stomach. "What are you getting so nervous about?" She asked. She stopped laughing and slowly went near Kise. Despite the height, she still managed to reach out her right hand to tap his shoulder.

"You were amazing, Ryouta."

* * *

"Tetsu-kun!" A loud, rather annoying voice yelled into the gym.

The Seirin basketball team glanced at the visitor who suddenly appeared at the gym door. "Good evening, Momoi." Kuroko greeted. The girl quickly ran to him and hugged him to the dismay of the other men in the gym. "Die, Kuroko." They all said in unison. "Hey, I heard Yu-chan studied in Kaijo now. How is she? Is she doing well? We were really close when she was in Touou. It was only for a short while, though." She asked, her eyes lighting up with joy. "Who's Yu-chan?" Kagami asked, wondering if Momoi only came here to talk about that 'Yu-chan'. "Gale." Kuroko answered reservedly.

"H-huh? Well… why Yu-chan?" Kiyoshi barged in, curious as to why they're suddenly talking about Kuroko's cousin. "Because her first name means 'snowdrop', and 'Yuki' is 'snow'." Momoi explained, still excited. Kuroko looked at her with his emotionless eyes. "… I thought she was annoyed by your presence." He remarked, making Momoi sigh in return. She looked at Tetsuya No. 2, who was playing with a basketball. "You see… she is annoyed by my presence, that's true. But I can't just leave her alone. She hardly makes friends on her own. She's a bit anti-social, you know. When I found out she was your cousin, I just couldn't imagine you worrying about her. So I brought it upon myself to try and approach her. Aomine was hesitant at first, but he got along with her easily." She reminisced, wondering about what could have happened if she didn't approach the young girl.

"Thank you. She wouldn't have been able to smile if you weren't there." Kuroko smiled, patting Momoi's head. "Umm… not to interrupt, but… the first time I saw her, she looked like she was the type to approach first rather than be approached." Kagami scratched his head, unable to follow what the topic is all about. "It doesn't look like it, but it takes all her courage to even talk. She's trying to make a good impression, you see." Momoi explained.

* * *

Classes bore Kise to the hell of it.

He was always so bored, that he finds it so hard to focus in class and ends up staring outside the window. He could feel his female classmates' eyes staring at him and he was too used to it that he doesn't even care anymore.

"The English word for "pan" is—CAN ALL OF YOU GIRLS STOP WHISPERING ABOUT RYOUTA-KUN?" Their English teacher suddenly snapped. It was normal for her to snap, anyway. She was young and obviously had a crush on the famous model, too. Kise looked up in front, hearing a knock on the door. "Ah, yes, come in." The teacher said.

The door opened, revealing a familiar student carrying stacks of papers. Kise's eyes widened. "_The principal approved of your request, Ma'am._" A certain girl who looked like the total embodiment of all the starlight in the world was in front, talking in English with, of course, the English teacher.

"I-I can't really understand what she's saying, but she's so darn cute!" One boy in class whispered to his seatmate. "_Very good, Kuroko. Sorry for making you do a favor for me._" The teacher replied in the same language, making her students' heads ache. "Who is she? Have I seen her around here before?" A girl whispered to the other girls who were sitting near her. "I think she's "Kuroko Shiro. That's what the teachers call her, but I heard that it's not her real name." One girl answered. "Kuroko Shiro? Her name's too contradicting! "Kuro" is black and… 'shiro' is white, right?" The other girl commented. "Shiro… it suits her! She's like a snow beauty with matching aurora beams on her hair!" A boy exclaimed.

Kise looked around, a bit surprised that most of them knew who Gale was. Although they don't know her name, they all looked like they've seen her. Why didn't Kise see her before or even know her if everyone did? He was sure he could have noticed her before. "Do you think she's Kise-kun's fan?" A random question caught Kise's attention. He glanced at the two female students behind him, trying to listen in on their conversation. "She's not looking at him. She's just speaking with the teacher." The other commented. Kise looked at Gale right in front again. He just then noticed that her shoulder-length hair was tied into a small ponytail, considering the length of her hair, and she was wearing eyeglasses. "… She wears glasses?" He thought to himself.

"U-um, Kuroko-san!" A boy stood up, catching everyone's attention. Gale looked at the boy, her expression unreadable. Kise could have sworn he saw her hands grip her skirt tightly, as if she was nervous. "E-ever since you transferred here… I liked you since the day I saw you! D-do you have a boyfriend?"

What courage, Kise thought. He watched Gale's reaction and found himself amused at what he noticed. To a normal person, they would have thought her to be just smiling, but to an observant person like Kise, she was really, _really_ nervous. Her left hand had let go of her skirt and was clenched into a fist. He could see that her nails were painfully digging into her palms. She was smiling, though, but there was uneasiness in her smile. "… I…" She stuttered.

Everyone was watching her reaction and she blushed deeply, wondering how to get out of this. It was the first time Kise saw her so… vulnerable. The Gale he knew would have got away with everything or made an unusual first impression towards everyone she meets. "… I, umm… I can't…" She muttered again, her voice barely audible.

Kise felt awkward, since he wasn't used to seeing her like this. The Gale he knew wasn't fake, but this Gale isn't fake, either. "Now, class. Stop pestering the poor girl! You, Ryuunosuke, confess at the right place and at the right time!" The teacher finally interfered. Gale let out a sigh of relief, finally letting go of her skirt. She could feel her left hand thanking her as she let it relax, despite the pain her own fingernails dug through her. "Sorry, about that, Kuroko. You may now go back to your classroom." The teacher nodded to her and Gale bowed down before quickly leaving.

Kise found himself smiling for some reason. "Weakness found."

* * *

It was finally lunch time. Kasamatsu walked along the hallway, trying to avoid eye contact with the girls who were walking to the canteen. He was never the type to do good with girls, not even daring to talk to them. "Captain!" Except for one, maybe. He turned around, recognizing the voice. There was Gale running towards him with a happy smile on her face.

"W-what are you… doing… here?" He stuttered. Gale was still a girl, after all. Kasamatsu was more nervous from the fact that he wasn't with his team mates. Kise would have dragged her away. Moriyama could have invited her in whatever activity there is in the basketball team. Hayakawa was really good friends with her. Kobori didn't really want to get involved in matters and issues, though, especially with girls.

Kasamatsu just had no idea how this girl became _everybody_'s fan. "What are you so nervous about, Captain? Don't worry! It's just good ol' Gale here in front of you! Kise told me that you always get nervous around girls, so it's alright! If it's Shiro-nyan! You'll be perfectly fine!" He was greeted by a strong slam on the back. This girl is stronger than she looks! He groaned in pain, trying his best not to yell at her as what he does to Kise. "Shiro-nyan?" He asked, still in pain. Gale laughed maniacally and loudly. "Shiro-nyan!" She said again, her ribbon twitching, making her look like a real cat.

Kasamatsu wondered if her weirdness existed in a bottomless pit. Not to mention, even though her hair was tied today, she still had that ribbon at the back of her head. Did that ribbon even had a purpose or is it just pure decoration to make up to her reputation as 'Shiro-nyan'? The captain will never know. "Anyways, Captain, I'm here to ask a favor!" She announced, her eyes sparkling. Kasamatsu looked at her, wishing secretly that it's not something harsh or stupid or childish. He also wished it wasn't related to girls or anything of that sort. Plus, it was the very first time a girl has ever asked him to do a favor for her. Why him? Why not somebody else? Someone who's actually good at dealing with women. Kise was closer to her, or so it seems, so why not Kise? Moreover, Moriyama's a good candidate, too, since he seems to do anything for cute girls.

"Teach me how to play sports, Captain!"


	6. Chapter 6 Wish

**I honestly have no idea what's going on. I'm pretty sure my plot is going well... OH, WELL. Just take a guess on what will happen next. :D :D I'll try my best. Please bear with me. I'm just a fifteenyearold blaaaaaa Oh, and by the way. HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE :D :D**

* * *

Kasamatsu stared at her with his mouth hung agape. She was blinking with pure innocence waiting for his response. A big smile was on her face and her ribbon was actually _twitching_ like cat ears. "Well?" She asked impatiently. If only she had a tail, it would have been wagging around in anticipation. Kasamatsu took one step backward, unable to put into words whatever he wanted to say. "Well, you see…" He looked down at his feet, his eyes unfocused. "… Come on, Captain! It's a Sunday tomorrow! I'm pretty sure you're free!" The young girl put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes. "Or… are you just going to spend the rest of your weekend playing your guitar?" She smirked. Kasamatsu looked at her in surprise. "H-how did you know I play guitar?" He asked, his finger pointing at her and shaking. Gale simply smiled and hopped away to make sure she keeps her distance. "I am a stalker, you know." She purred, her right index finger in front of her face. She winked, making Kasamatsu blush hard. "It's a secret, Captain. Besides, we're not getting to the point! I want you to teach me basketball because it's one of my wishes! I want to learn how to dunk!" She announced. 

Kasamatsu just stared at her. He looked at her from head to toe, noticing that she was quite small. 154 centimeters initially. How in the world is she going to dunk? He sighed, wondering what to tell her. "… Alright." He gave up trying to reason with her, wondering how he was going to teach her how to dunk. "Really? Thank you, Captain! We'll start tomorrow morning! We'll start with jogging, okay? Don't be late! We'll meet at the road where you could see the ocean. You know that place? People always go there to jog, since you can really smell the saltwater from afar!" Gale was jumping up and down. She was obviously excited that Kasamatsu couldn't help it but smile. "See you, Captain!" She was about to skid off the corridor, when Kasamatsu grabbed her arm. 

Startled, she turned her head. "… Why me? Why not Kise who's on the same year level as you? Or Hayakawa who seems to get along well with you? Moriyama's okay, too. He's really good at handling women." Kasamatsu finally got to ask. In response, Gale just smiled at him and laughed. "You should… have fun more, Captain." She answered, before running off. Kasamatsu watched her disappear from his sight. A smile was tugging on his lips although he ended up covering his face. "No doubt. Kise will fall in love with you sooner or later." 

* * *

"She told me not to be late but…" Kasamatsu stared at his watch, a bit annoyed. It's a good thing winter's almost here. The Winter Cup will soon commence. "I should be training for the Winter Cup, but that girl clearly wants me to just 'have fun', huh? Well, I don't mind since it's a day off, but…" He sighed. He watched the people who were jogging along the road. It was a road which only went in circles. Cars hardly drive past there. A family of four stopped by so that their little son and daughter could see the ocean from this view.

"Captain!" And of course, he recognized that voice. He turned to the direction and saw a certain young girl wearing a simple shirt and shorts. He blushed, not used to being with a girl bearing that kind of attire. "T-to be a g-good player, y-you have to start by b-b-being early." He tried to scold her but failed helplessly. She tilted her head. She still had that large annoying ribbon at the back of her head, irritating Kasamatsu more. "Fine. Let's go." He said as he started brisk walking. Gale tried copying whatever he was doing. "Hey, hey, Captain. Why aren't you good with girls? Then why do you feel so comfortable around me, then?" Gale started bombarding him with pointless questions once again. Kasamatsu fought the urge to face-palm. "… Other than my mother, I don't interact much with women…" He explained, while his eyes focused on the road, trying his best to ignore the girl staring at him. "You were the one who started talking about random things when you first met me. I only approached you back then to ask about the posters you were messing with." He added, sighing. "Eh? You should really get out more! Meet a new girlfriend! All you do is practice basketball, develop strategies for the next game, kick narcissistic bastards, get stressed in school, blush around women, and play guitar!" She reasoned out. Deep inside, she was already laughing since Kasamatsu's facial expression quickly changed.

"K-kick narcissistic bastards? Blush around women?" He repeated, his speed slowing down. Gale fought the urge to laugh. "… Narcissis—You don't mean Kise, do you?" He suddenly asked, catching Gale off-guard. 

Her eyes widened and she started looking elsewhere, thinking on what to retort. "… Uhh…" She muttered. Kasamatsu started jogging. Gale tried to pick up pace while still thinking. "… It's okay to call Kise whatever you want. He wouldn't mind a girl calling him a narcissistic bastard…" Kasamatsu assured her, being able to talk even when jogging. Gale stared up at him once again, his black hair countering the sun's rays upon his face. "Is it because every girl who sees him falls in love with him at first sight?" She asked while panting.

She really wasn't good with training her weak body, but she kept going, anyway. "Correct. He's used to the other girls' reactions that he was unable to believe that you had no idea who he was." Kasamatsu explained as he finally looked back at her. Gale was already panting, so Kasamatsu tried slowing down his pace. "… I'm no different from other girls, Captain. I admit, the first time he saved me, I found his smile _extremely_ annoying. I wasn't the type to like guys who are popular. I was also quite intimidated by his happy-go-lucky disposition which overpowered mine. Well… not to complain, but… I guess being lively isn't really me, Captain." Gale's lively voice tuned down, surprising Kasamatsu. He wondered if it was only because she was tired. "Then you realized that despite his annoying demeanor, you ended up liking him?" 

Gale stopped in her tracks. Kasamatsu took a while to stop, so he was ahead of her three steps before finally coming to a halt. "… Gale?" He asked, worried that he might have said something offensive. Gale's eyes were covered by her bangs and she looked like she was staring at the ground. "… I can't, Captain. This heart already belongs to someone else." She touched her chest gently, her head still facing down. "… I see. You're in love with someone else." Kasamatsu sighed, as he walked toward her. She looked up to face him once again. "… It's not that. It's just… I feel like I don't have the right to control this heart." She mumbled. Kasamatsu was stunned to see this lively girl act so… sullen. He wanted to cheer her up but… what should he say? 

Gale let out a sheepish grin. "Well! Enough with the drama, we should enjoy our time! After one revolution, I think we should go to the court!" Gale took Kasamatsu's hand, despite the fact that she knew he'd blush and protest. She then ran along the road, ignoring his stuttering complaints. 

* * *

Kise was trying hard to strike a pose in front of the camera, but he was failing. "Ryouta! What happened to your best poses?" His designer scolded him, embarrassed. This was Kise's first photo shoot for a new endorsement. This was a great opportunity that would eventually add up to his fame, but he was failing to make a good impression for some reason. "I'm sorry!" He apologized, bowing down. The boss of the crew, the one in-charge of the company who made the product, nodded. "… I would like to have him mentored by one of my best models. He has a handsome face and he has the talent, but he seems to be unfocused." The boss sternly told Kise's designer. 

Kise sighed. "What's wrong with me?" His face sank into his hands. "Gale… I-I mean, Snowy had this weakness regarding confessions, but… wait, why am I still thinking about that incident?" His head shot up while he was still talking to himself. "…Agh… I wonder what could have happened if she ended up liking that guy who confessed to her… he has the looks and he was good in class, too. Will they— AGH, WHAT AM I SAYING?" He suddenly snapped, not noticing that everyone was staring at him weirdly. ".. S-Sorry…" He turned around, wondering why he even did that. "Yep. I think Ryouta does need a mentor." He heard his designer say. 

* * *

Gale was already panting. The sun was already setting, but she was still dribbling the ball. Her hands could hardly keep up with her dribbles. Kasamatsu was in front of her in his defensive stance. "What's wrong? Just try to drive past me again." He told her. Suddenly, she fell down to her knees. "H-Hey!" Kasamatsu kneeled down to check on her. She was panting heavily. "… No, I'm fine." She weakly smiled. Kasamatsu held her hand to help her stand up, panicking on the inside. "… Don't worry. You will learn how to play basketball. Just a little more practice. I've already thought you the drives and how to dribble. You learned defense, too. Just a little more…" Kasamatsu patted her head gently. Her bangs were tied up because she was sweating and her ribbon was all droopy. 

She laughed as she took a towel from her bag and wiped the sweat off her forehead. "It's okay. Today was an accomplishment for me, since I was able to do so much activity without… fainting…" She mumbled. "What?" Kasamatsu asked as he was unable to hear her clearly. "Ah! Nothing, Captain! Anyways, we should get home now. It's getting late. Today was fun! Did you have fun?" She went back to her lively self. 

With a wave of their hands, they parted ways. Gale waited for a while before looking back. Kasamatsu back was getting smaller, the farther he walks away. She stopped walking and watched him drift away until she couldn't see him anymore. A sad smile was on her face. "… Even with this body, I was still able to keep up with him today…" She mumbled. She looked up at the sky, the sunset shining upon her in contrast to her aurora hair. "… Did I grant your wish?" She whispered, her left hand touching her heart.


	7. Chapter 7 Live For Me

**Hiya~**

**It's 12:30am right now here, January 1 2013. Happy New Year to everyone~**

**Happy new year to my dear OC, Gale and to my beloved sweetie, Kise~ 3**

***sigh* Gale-chan makes me so jealoussssss . But it's okay. My OC is a part of my life now. My 2013 :D She'll stay with me throught 2014 and many more years to come~**

* * *

She opened the window with full force despite being so tired, careful not to make any noise. She crept in, her small frame easily sliding through the windowsill, wondering why it was so dark. "Ah, the lights are off, of course." She said. She tiptoed toward the switch until it was pressed by none other than Kuroko. "Ah! Y-Ya-chan! H-Hi!" She jumped back, her heart pounded against her chest in bewilderment. The blue-haired young man looked upset. She knew she was in trouble. "… Sorry, Ya-chan." She sat on her bed with her head down. "If you wanted to go out, you should have at least asked me to accompany you." Kuroko started scolding, his eyes fixed at the troublesome girl. Gale remained silent. She didn't even move or look at him. "… You're also wearing sports attire. You're also really sweaty… what did you do, Gale?" 

A smile crept up on Gale's face. It was a very apologetic smile. "I went to grant a wish." She said. Kuroko suddenly froze in his place. He looked at her, his lips shaking. "Those wishes are reckless." He absentmindedly commented, since he didn't know what to say. Gale just shrugged her shoulders and grinned. Kuroko sighed. He turned around to leave the room. "Gale… you must live. Even if you have no reason to live on your own. Take a shower and rest. I'm sure you're tired." Kuroko smiled at her. 

Gale stared at the door once again as soon as it was closed. "I don't have a reason. I live for other people's reasons." 

* * *

Everyone will now start preparing for the Winter Cup. This means, less play; more serious. It was already December. Kasamatsu and Kise were both chilling near the bleachers. Kise had a happy smile on his face when he sent a message to Midorima for good luck. After all, Shutoku's going to have an earlier match along with Seirin. Those were two of the academies Kise was waiting to play against, anyway. He checked his phone, only to find a message filled with dread. "SENPAI!" He turned to Kasamatsu and showed him the message on his phone. "WHAT DOES IT MEAN WHEN SOMEONE TELLS YOU TO DIE WHEN YOU WISHED THEM GOOD LUCK?" The freshman complained. Kasamatsu almost spilled the water he was drinking, wanting to kick the blonde so bad. "It's exactly as it says!" He yelled back. 

Kise stared at his phone in dismay. His eyes lit up suddenly when he received a reply from Kuroko. He opened it in glee with full anticipation. _"Kise-kun, I don't have Kasamatsu's number. Can you please ask him to go to the hospital after practice? By the way, thank you for wishing me good luck."_ Kise stood up with a big grin on his face. "Kurokocchi thanked me!" He read the message again to make sure. The second time he read it, he noticed the main point of the message. "Kasamatsu-senpai?" He called out. 

Kasamatsu was already on court with a basketball ready in his hands. "What?" The captain asked, his eyebrows furrowing. Kise didn't take his eyes off the message, but he still managed to speak properly to his senior. "Are you and Kurokocchi close?" Kise asked once again, his eyes still fixed on his phone. Kasamatsu started dribbling, passing the ball to one hand then back to the other. "Huh? That was random! Just what did Kuroko—" Kasamatsu suddenly stopped. The ball bounced on the floor until it had no more kinetic energy left and went rolling away. 

_Kuroko Shiro._

"Senpai?" Kise looked at Kasamatsu, wondering why he stopped dribbling. "… What did Kuroko tell you?" The captain asked, his voice shaking. "He asked me to tell you about visiting the hospital or something…" Kise rubbed the back of his head, confused. Kasamatsu suddenly clenched his fists. He gritted his teeth in frustration. Kise watched him carefully. The blonde's face turned serious. His eyes changed from a lovely yellow to dark amber. It's either he's getting a gist of what's going on or he's just being too paranoid. "Were you at home last Sunday, senpai?" He asked, his tone changing. 

"Continue practicing. I'll be back later." Kasamatsu said. He grabbed his bag and went straight to the locker room. Kise didn't even notice Genta coming toward him. "What happened? I could see the two of you from afar. Kasamatsu looked like he was really angry." The coach asked. Kise shook his head. "I don't know." 

* * *

Kasamatsu stared at her. She was looking outside the window just beside the hospital bed. "…Sorry. You don't have to be mad. Geez, Ya-chan is such a jerk, telling you to come and all that shit…" Obviously, Gale was really pissed. "Watch your language." Kasamatsu sighed. "You're an idiot. You didn't tell me your body was in the middle of recovery." The senior didn't know how to yell at her. She's a girl, he reminded himself. Gale was about to speak up, when two other people barged in the room. 

"Yu-chan!" A pink-haired young woman quickly rushed to her side. "…Yo, what did you mess around with this time?" A tan, dark-haired young man followed after. Gale and Kasamatsu looked at the visitors with wide eyes. "Y-You know each other?" Kasamatsu asked her. "Ah, you're the captain of Kaijo High, right? Kasamatsu Yukio! The third year point guard who specializes in drives and is one of the greatest high school players around!" Momoi pointed out. A sweat drop immediately appeared at Kasamatsu's head. This woman remembers the data she gathers? The Generation of Miracles is full of monsters… including their manager. "Quit acting like a dummy, Sa-chan. Your girliness is making me sick." Gale hissed. Kasamatsu looked at Gale. He was even more astonished than before. "…So this is how you talk to your fellow women?" He asked. Gale glared at him, causing him to flinch. Was this the same Gale? 

Aomine went near her and messed up her hair. "You're still the same reckless idiot, no matter what you do." He smirked. Gale smacked his hands away. "… Shut up." She growled. Kasamatsu had no idea what was happening anymore. "…Umm… Kasamatsu, right?" Momoi's voice caught his attention. Kasamatsu jumped aback. His face was extremely red after coming face to face with a womanly high school student with big— 

No. Don't look down, Kasamatsu. Don't look down. 

"A-a-a-ah, y-yes?" The poor captain had a terrible phobia with women. Just when he thought he was getting comfortable around Gale, this girl suddenly appears out of nowhere. "… Gale, Aomine, and I used to be classmates. She studied in Touou before and lived alone in an apartment. I used to come there every day just to give her company even if she had a bad habit of pushing people away." She explained. Kasamatsu raised an eyebrow. He wasn't sure how to react, since the Gale he knew doesn't push anyone away. She even has all the guts to approach _large_ men a.k.a. basketball players. 

"I heard from Tetsu-kun that she's livelier now. Probably because she's trying to make up for a life she almost lost." Momoi explained further. "L-life s-s-she… almost… l-lost?" Kasamatsu tried his best to react in the most normal and dignified way as possible. Momoi giggled at his nervousness, making his face become as red as a tomato. "ACK, YOU BASTARD! Stop pinching my cheek!" Gale's voice was heard in the background. She was obviously talking to Aomine.

"Don't be bothered when she curses. That's who she used to be, back then. You see… she had completely lost the will to live. She finds it so hard to make friends before and she developed a barrier around herself that only a selected few can enter. She's only trying to live now because she wants to grant _someone_'s wishes. We appreciate that you helped her grant one… but the rest might be difficult." Momoi sighed. Her eyes were focused on Aomine and Gale, who were arguing and messing around. Gale didn't even look like she was sick. Kasamatsu tried to take in all the info at once. "S-so y-you're saying that the, uhh, r-real Gale is… a l-loner?" He asked again. Momoi nodded in response. "Tetsu-kun was so worried about her because she suddenly developed a sickness. He forced her to stay in his house. She agreed, but only if Tetsu-kun agreed with her one condition… that is, for her to study in Kaijo." Momoi finished. Kasamatsu was about to ask why Gale wanted to study in Kaijo, but Aomine suddenly barged in. 

"You're saying too much, Satsuki." He commented. Kasamatsu eyes darted to Aomine, who was getting ready to leave the room. "… Kasamatsu, right? You've only just met a month ago. You know too much already." The Touou ace said before leaving. "We'll see you, Yu-chan, Kasamatsu-kun." Momoi bowed down before catching up with Aomine. 

A moment of silence filled the room. 

"… Wishes? What are your other wishes?" Kasamatsu was the first to speak. Gale chuckled, not expecting for him to ask such an odd question. "I wanted to last long and keep up with you while playing basketball. Luckily, it was a success. I got too exhausted, though." She recalled, her eyes gleaming bright. "I also want to guide you throughout your whole Winter Cup tournament and give full support to Kaijo!" She exclaimed, pumping her fists in mid-air. "…That's an easy wish." Kasamatsu commented. "I wanna ride a bike… even if it's not me doing the pedals… I just wanna feel the breeze of the air against my face… also; I wanna see fireworks on New Year's Eve! I always loved the lights against the dark night sky! It's been three years since I last saw fireworks… I couldn't stand the sound." She kept on going on and on about her childish fantasies that Kasamatsu had no idea where her imagination came from. 

She exhaled loudly. "… I know I'm being too childish, but… I guess you could say I share the same feelings now… same feelings with that person." She sighed. "That person?" The captain asked. For some reason, he was getting disturbed the more he found out about her bit by bit. 

"… Your sister. Don't you remember her?"


	8. Chapter 8 The Brofist

"_Hey, Gale."_

"_Don't say anything stupid."_

"_I just want to ask—"_

"_Shut up!"_

"… _But, Gale…"_

"_It's no use, you dolt! We're both dying!_

"… _No. One of us will live."_

* * *

Kasamatsu started shaking. His eyes were welling up with tears. He can't cry here! Not now. Not in front of a girl who seems to know a lot about him. "Don't you remember her?" Gale asked again. Her face was serious. She didn't have that happy aura or that goofy smile. Kasamatsu shook his head in disapproval, although his reaction stated otherwise. Gale smiled at him. She stood from the hospital bed and walked towards him. Her hand found its way to his cheek. "She's an acquaintance of mine. We used to share hospital rooms back then. Don't you remember?" She was slowly killing him, and she knows it. Kasamatsu couldn't even look at her in the eye. He had just witnessed the terrible, cruel side of a girl he once thought to be very innocent.

Gale didn't even move her hand from his face. "I don't have a sister." Kasamatsu gritted his teeth. His voice was trembling and he wanted to dash out of the room. "Oh, she's not your real sister, Captain… she's tired of being your "sister". It's time to face reality, Captain." Gale finally removed her hand, to Kasamatsu's relief. He was able to breathe more openly. He inhaled a great amount of air before exhaling loudly. "… I'm not good with girls, Gale. You know that. Stop making me look pathetic…" Kasamatsu turned his back to her, resisting her icy blue stare. "Don't think bad of me, Captain. I'm still your number zero fan. I'm still a fan of the top 8 basketball teams in Japan. It's just… I'm trying to make you remember, Captain. She won't like it if you forget about her."

Kasamatsu stopped. He let out a sigh before walking out the room without saying anything.

* * *

The Winter Cup.

It is one of the biggest basketball tournaments in the whole country. Of course, Kaijo is automatically entered into the competition, considering its place in the Interhigh. The regulars were practicing on a vacant court outside the stadium. They were all trying their very best. "Kise!" Moriyama called out. Kise quickly looked behind him as he caught the ball before ending with an astounding dunk. The girls who were there, by chance, stopped to watch their beloved idol shoot some hoops. "ACCCK! Kise-kun!" They all screamed.

Kise looked at them, although he had no idea who they were. They all squealed upon being recognized by the blonde. "WHY DOES KISE GET ALL THE ATTENTION?" Hayakawa yelled. Kise covered his mouth, stifling a laugh. His eyes were still gazing at the girls around him, until he noticed that girl he hasn't seen for weeks. "Eh? You're here!" He suddenly ran to her, making all the girls glare.

Gale tilted her head before suddenly laughing. "Seriously, you're so funny, Kise! In this big crowd of women, you noticed me? Geez, do I have something unusual on my face that other girls don't have?" She laughed loudly. Kise bit his lip. "Ah, well… your hair is too eye-catching…" Kise grinned, his hand making its way to Gale's head. As soon as he patted her head, he realized that the girl was really small compared to him. "… Umm… what is your height?" He suddenly asked.

Gale froze in her place. She blinked a few times; each blink was a step into making a deadly glare. Kise suddenly took his hand away from her head. "W-wait, I didn't mean—" He couldn't focus on what he was saying. "…OKAY, FINE! Just because you're _soooooo_ tall!" She pinched his nose hard. Kise held her hand away. His grip was obviously stronger than hers. "C-Calm down! I'm not used to seeing you so f-fierce and—" He once again got cut out of his statement when Gale put both her hands on his face. He stared at her with wide eyes, unable to speak. His heart suddenly started beating wildly against his chest. He couldn't even hear the other fangirls' screams and complaints.

He gulped. "… You know, Kise…" Gale said, her voice turning soft. Her drastic voice change only made matters worse. Just a little more and Kise would have his heart bursting out of his chest. He didn't know why exactly he was feeling nervous. His past girlfriends in middle school even kissed him on the cheek and he didn't become so flustered. Why Gale, who only put her hands on his face, made him feel butterflies in his stomach? Is it because this girl has yet to show him her "soft side"?

Gale's hands were cold. They were as cold as the color of her eyes. It didn't feel pleasant at all, but he was satisfied by the silent breeze of winter in her hands. "… Your face is really, _really_ warm, Kise. Are you sick? Can you still go practice? Geez, don't look at me with those wonderstruck eyes and your face kinda looks like a tomato now. Seriously, go fix yourself." Gale stuck her tongue out. Her hands suddenly clasped his cheeks _hard_. It almost sounded like a slap.

"Gah!" Kise jumped backward. He massaged his poor cheeks in pain, wondering where the girl actually got her strength. "You're cruel, Gale-cchi!" He complained like a little dog. His mouth was formed into a pout and his eyes were actually twinkling. The girls around suddenly screamed. "SO CUTE!"

Gale rolled her eyes. "Kise, you idiot… just because you decided to use your copycat skills just to imitate the famous 'puppy eyes', doesn't mean you have my permission to use it in front of me. Now, seriously, get a grip of yourself! Get back to practice! Captain will get mad, you know! And don't add a suffix after my name." She scolded him. Kise took her hand and started dragging her to the court. "W-what… What are you doing? Stop!" Gale tried to release herself from the blonde's powerful grip, but Kise was obviously stronger. "Senpai! Your girlfriends' here to—" "SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!"

Without even getting to finish his sentence, he was immediately kicked on the sheen by none other than the captain himself. "B-but, I did you a favor by bringing her here!" He reasoned out, his eyes on the verge of tears. "I didn't say I wanted you to bring her here!" Kasamatsu continued yelling. "C-Captain! Punish him! Punish him for making me look so tiny compared to his monstrous height!" Gale pointed furiously. She was actually clutching her stomach due to laughter, enjoying her sadistic way of living.

* * *

_30 minutes later…_

* * *

The three of them were panting heavily, exhausted by their yelling, screaming, abusive behavior, childish arguments, and all that. "You know… I'm glad we made you laugh today, Captain." Gale proudly remarked. Kise looked at her with a smile on his face. Kasamatsu turned his head towards them, surprised. "… You planned this?" Kasamatsu asked. "Of course we did." Kise quickly answered, which only ended up making Gale stare at him. She looked at him in wonder, not knowing why he lied. "… Why?" Kasamatsu asked.

Kise winked at Gale. The girl flinched due to the sudden signal. "Um… well…" Gale stuttered, still confused. Her eyes made contact with Kasamatsu's, a sudden surge of electricity passing through her veins due to the sudden turn of tables. She wanted to make Kasamatsu happy… that was a fact. But she didn't understand why Kise was going along with her actions _too well_ that it seemed like he knew everything. "… You were so stressed out trying to prepare for the Winter Cup that you completely forgot how to have fun…" Gale looked back at Kise. "You're our captain, after all! Just because you're captain, doesn't mean you have to take all the stress in. Try smiling more!" Kise let out a flashy grin.

"… M-MORON!" Kasamatsu punched the back of the blonde's head making the poor freshman yelp. They didn't notice Moriyama, Hayakawa, and Kobori looking their way, assuring smiles painted on their faces. "Hey, wanna bet?" Moriyama asked his two companions. "What bet?" Kobori asked.

"Who do you think she'll end up with? Kise, Kasamatsu… or me?" Moriyama sent a sparkling impression. "E-EH? Why did you include yourself? THEN YOU SHOULD INCLUDE US, TOO!" Hayakawa yelled. Kobori quickly covered his mouth. "Quiet, you! If they find out, Kasamatsu will definitely _kill_ us!"

* * *

"… Um… why did you go along with my objective?"

She asked him. Her eyes looked more concerned than angry. The blonde chuckled. The sunset lit upon his beautiful facial features; a pure dash of perfection was painted on his whole self with absolute artistry. The wind blew upon his hair which looked like it was made of pure gold. His eyes were like stars to her, although she would not say it out loud. She wouldn't do anything to boost his ego. Supporting him was enough.

She was _their_ fan. She was _their_ support. She is not their only fan, of course, but she was the one who carved herself into them in her simple, awkward ways. "… I think I kind of get what you're trying to do." Kise smiled, his perfection exceeding its limit. Gale stared at him with complete awe. She was unable to explain the growing feeling inside of her. She was too dense; too numb.

"… Then why are you going along with it? I'm your fan! The basketball team's number zero fan! I'm supposed to be your pillar of hope and support!" She suddenly snapped. Kise stared off into the horizon. The great sunset countered Gale's iciness, and he didn't want to see two contrasting sights at the same time. "You do realize that the other fans can do it, too, right? What you're doing…" Kise bluntly said, his eyes unable to look at Gale for fear that he might have hurt a woman's feelings. Gale was not ladylike. She was not girly. But she was still a woman. Kise knew that too well.

"Of course I do. But… there's one thing only I can do…" Gale mumbled. She walked towards Kise. She raised her hand to touch his shoulder once again, but she hesitated. Kise finally looked at her. His eyes were like warm sunshine melting into her snowy eyes. "Even if it's a blizzard inside that heart right now… just remember that the flowers will come blooming again in spring no matter how long winter is."

He took her hand into his, shaking it. Both of them were surprised at how much the sizes of their hands differed. "… This difference again, huh?" Gale sighed. Kise ended up laughing. "… Okay, okay! Well… do you know what a 'brofist' is?" He asked her, as he let go of her hand. Gale raised an eyebrow. "Of course!" She retorted. Her eyes slowly widened due to sudden realization. "Ah! Instead of a handshake or anything that makes me look small! How about bumping our fists, then? I know, it's a little 'manly', but that would be awesome!" She pumped her fists up in the air. "… But… what do we need a 'special greeting' for?" She asked, her mood quickly changing. Kise blinked twice at her, a bit bewildered at her sudden mood swing. "… I'll help you. Whatever you are trying to do, I'll help you."

Gale smirked. She held out her fist towards Kise. "… It's settled, then."

* * *

**It's sad that I've reached 8 chapters and STILL no reviews. *sigh**

**But I check the daily statistics of this story everyday and all is well. Thank you for those who follow this story and those who added this to their favorites. YAY. **

**R and R please D: D:**

**And Happy New Year again. **


	9. Chapter 9 Perfect Copy

"Senpai!" 

Again. For the ninth time, Kise called him over for no reason again. Kasamatsu turned to look at him, worried that he might get a stiff neck. His eyebrows were furrowed and he greeted the blonde with a frown. "Hey, I've been improving myself lately! I promise not to let down the team!" How many times did Kise say that? Kasamatsu tried counting it in his head. "Oh, don't worry about me if I suddenly disappear or anything. I usually practice alone in some court just near the stadium." Kasamatsu's mind drifted off. He had no idea what Kise was saying anymore. Kasamatsu felt his body aching for a yawn, but he did not want to be rude. Not even in front of an idiot. "It's a street basketball court, senpai, so it may not be preferable for serious practice, but I'm okay with it now!" Kasamatsu stared at Kise's face, wondering if the blonde would cry if he kicked that annoying smile off his annoying face. 

Kise continued talking, even while they were watching a basketball game of who-knows-what team – Kasamatsu could not remember anymore. He thought about when Kise first tried to grab his attention. Kise was poking him on the shoulder. _Poking him on the shoulder_. The stupid idiot won't stop until the captain turns his head towards him. The second time, Kise was _waving_ his hand right in front of Kasamatsu's face. Of course, even while on the bleachers, Kise still got kicked. The third time, the freshman was _finall_y watching the game. The problem was the immature model was actually humming some song Kasamatsu had never heard of. He was _humming_ it while watching a _serious_ game. 

Kise stopped talking, snapping Kasamatsu out of his thoughts. The senior had obviously given up trying to kick him because today, Kise was more annoying than usual. "… Done talking?" He sighed. Kise only gave him a goofy smile, irritating him more. "…Hanging out with Gale caused you to be like this, huh? Stop playing around and be serious for a change." Kasamatsu scolded rather calmly. He was obviously really tired.

The blonde glanced back at the game. Seirin was winning. "Ha, they're getting stronger…" 

* * *

"_What's your plan?" Kise asked the young girl who was fiddling with a little jeweled pen and a small notebook. "Make the captain happy and stress-free every day, of course." Gale smiled. She was tapping her pen on her chin, thinking about what to write. Kise waited patiently. They were sitting on a meadow they found just behind the stadium. The air was chilly, but they didn't seem to mind. "Aren't you cold? Don't you have a weak body?" Kise asked her. Gale shook her head, her eyes focused on the notebook. "Weak body? I'm trying to make it strong. I can stand the cold. It's not like I- ACHOO_!" _Gale suddenly sneezed. _

_Kise sighed. "Weak." He mumbled. He took off his varsity jacket and dropped it on Gale's head. His body stature was bigger than her, so the jacket drooped over her head and reached up to hips. She touched the jacket's fabric over her head, blushing. She was blushing, not because Kise, the number one ideal guy of female teenagers was doing all these sweet things to her, but because the jacket just smelled so good. "… Whatever." She hissed, biting her lip because of the tremor in her voice. "You know what; you should take a break on finding your wishes and fulfilling your goals at times. You're becoming too cold nowadays." Kise remarked. He earned no reply. He face-palmed, not knowing what to say to a girl who's become too preoccupied with her 'duties'. He inhaled deeply and let out a long sigh. _

"… _I'll copy you."_

"_What?"_

* * *

Kise remembered what he was supposed to do. "I can't believe I'm using my skills just to copy that girl." He muttered under his breath. Kise was not too much of an idiot and everyone knew that. Including Gale. Kise knew that the girl was hiding something. A dark past? Possibly. Feelings for Kasamatsu? Much likely. "I just have to copy her. 'Copy my enthusiasm', that's what she said, but…" Kise was walking like a dazed zombie along the halls of the stadium. He wanted some time alone for himself. 

He skidded down the stairs, trying to find a place where he could just calm himself down with the cold breeze of winter. He found himself already outside the stadium in the blink of an eye. "Kaijo vs. Fukuda High, huh? It's in three days…" He stared up at the dark sky. It was foggy sky and he was unable to see the stars due to the white snowy air blanketing his line of sight. 

"You're not with her today." A blank voice invaded Kise's dreamy thoughts. He turned around, immediately spotting Kuroko. The Phantom Man gazed at him with his soulful blue eyes. "Kurokocchi! And…" Kise's voice trailed off as soon as he saw a small dog tailing Kuroko. Again, with the same soulful blue eyes. "Oh, it's that dog again. Number 2, was it?" The blonde found himself chuckling peacefully. 

Kuroko merely watched Kise look so happy and carefree, like he usually was when he's not in a serious game. In fact, he looked _too_ happy, which lit a lightbulb in Kuroko's head. "You're copying her." Kuroko was straightforward. He always was, and Kise was aware of that. "Ah, yes. You noticed? Ah, of course. She's your cousin, after all." The blonde stretched his arms and groaned in relief. "… She told me that making Kasamatsu happy was her happiness." Kuroko blurted out like air escaping from a balloon. Kise didn't even bother facing him. He stared up at the sky, letting the never-ending blue engulf him. "That's what she told me, too."

"She's lying."

"H-Huh?"

"As Gale, making Kasamatsu happy is not her happiness. It's someone else's."

"Uhhh… Pardon?"

The conversation was going on too fast that Kise had trouble catching up. He faced Kuroko once again. His eyes looked like they were blinded by a flash of light as they were widening. "She's not living as Gale, Kise-kun. I know that you've noticed that. You're way more perceptive than other people." Kuroko refused to show any piece of emotion in his blank face. One could already tell what he's feeling right now with just the tone of his voice. Kise smirked. "I can't fool you, can I, Kurokocchi?"

Even though Kise was giving out a positive smile, Kuroko's face still remained the same. "I don't know her story, but I can definitely tell that there's something about her sickness that bothers her." Kise explained. He put his hands in the pockets of his varsity jacket, shivering as the cold air passed by. "Still, she told me making Kasamatsu-senpai happy makes her happy so that's the only thing she asked me to do, but…"

Kise looked down at the ground, sighing in dismay. Tetsuya Number 2 tilted his head, whimpering. "Then why are you still copying her? Isn't it for the same reason? Making Kasamatsu happy?" Kuroko started asking him shotgun questions, even in his distraught state. "I think you've misunderstood, Kurokocchi. That's not it at all. We've been really good friends since the day she asked me to show her who I really am, yet I still can't make her see herself for who she really is. It's unfair." Kise answered, still trying to catch up with the pace of the conversation. "I'm copying her just to show her how perfect she is." 

* * *

Kasamatsu sure was getting tired of this.

Finally, Kise left him in peace. But now, Gale was here to continue the everlasting annoyance. "I'm happy that you're finally going to play on court in three days! I'll be rooting for all of you! Kaijo is truly the best team ever!" Here she goes again with her basketball rants. "Oh, by the way, December ended fast, right? Before I even got a feel of winter, I didn't realize that January is here. Geez, I wonder why the Winter Cup had to start right after Christmas? And I had to spend the New Year's Eve in the hospital, too. I couldn't handle the smoke coming from the fireworks!" Her voice was louder than usual, Kasamatsu noticed. "Also, Kise-kun is getting annoying nowadays, don't you think? Probably bec—"

"Gale."

"Yes?"

"… I'm happy now."

Gale blinked a few times, unable to process what Kasamatsu just told her. "… H-happy?" She blushed. Kasamatsu nodded. They were sitting on a bench in the hallways of the locker rooms. Gale was prohibited to go inside, but she told the guards that she was the manager of a team, so she easily fooled them. "You d-don't h-have to… e-e-exaggerate your enthusiasm… you don't have t-to… pretend to be 'her'…"

The girl huffed. "Who says I was—fine, I'll tell you." Gale childishly stuck her tongue out. They stared at the wall, since they both know that just their hearing was enough to start their conversation. "I'm known by all of you as a happy-go-lucky, noisy, annoying girl, right? An _exaggeratedly_ happy-go-lucky, noisy, and annoying girl. Of course, those who don't know my past will think that it's just my personality… but since Sa-chan told you back at the hospital…"

Kasamatsu's eyes lazily glanced at the passing players of some team playing for the next game. "It's because in your past, you weren't much of a positive thinker, right?" He guessed. "Correct! You're quick. My sickness was worse in my Touou days. I've completely given up on living. I used to dread each passing day and I hated how the clock ticked by endlessly. I've been so caught up on waiting for my death that I didn't even get to taste the happiness of this world. I'm actually thankful that Sa-chan and that bastard Dai-kun were there to at least give me a little light." She continued. "… Without a new heart, I would have definitely died." 

* * *

"_What's your name?" Gale turned to look at a girl who's the same age as her, waving. They were both on hospital beds in ward where only the two of them were confined in. The girl was pretty. She had long auburn locks that reached her waist and her eyes were silver. "… Galanthus." Gale replied without showing a bit of interest in talking to the girl. "When you get out of this hospital, what are you going to do next? Are you going to do your favorite hobby? Or maybe even try to set a reunion with your friends? It'll be fun to live when you're all better!" The redhead randomly started blabbing things without even mentioning her name. "… Oh, no. You're mistaken. I'm going to die soon." Gale reminded, her heart __aching up and her eyes bearing a bitter shade._

_The other girl started laughing, which clearly irritated Gale. "What is your sickness, anyway?" She asked. Gale didn't want to answer, but she also didn't want to be rude. "My left lung expands abnormally. I can still save myself if that's the only case, but… my heart is abnormal in size. It is not compatible with my body at all. I'm surprised I'm still alive." Gale explained, venom dripping in her voice. _

"… _You can still be saved, Galanthus."_

"_Call me 'Gale'."_

"_If I die, I'll give you my heart."_

"_What?"_

* * *

They were both silent for a while. Kasamatsu couldn't even absorb every detail of it. "… Unlike me, it was her nervous system who took the toll. Her nerves are dying, one-by-one… of course, brain transplant does not even exist, and so… even if her heart was healthy, it will soon forget how to beat… because her brain is slowly dying." Gale had a small smile on her face, despite the sadness in her voice. "She told me she studied as a second-year in Kaijo and she told me all about you."

Kasamatsu turned his head to look at her. His expression was priceless and he looked like he had seen a ghost. "… So the person whom she gave her heart to was…" He mumbled. He had a terrible tremor in his voice, as flashbacks suddenly came gushing through his nerves. "… You were childhood friends, right? And you lied to me when you said that the only woman you ever talk to was your mother. Don't be so cruel. Don't even try to forget about her when she's still alive! Inside this body, her heart is still beating!" Gale stood up. Her right hand touched her chest. "She only wanted to make you happy. You were always so stressed out. You were always crying alone and you refused to show your weak side to your team mates. You were always thinking about other people. She wanted you to at least care for yourself more!"

"That's enough, Gale." Kasamatsu retorted, almost a whisper, but enough for Gale to hear. "If only her brain didn't stop functioning, she would still be alive. Why even give your heart to another weak, sickly person? She's an idiot…" Gale's eyes were already producing her tears. She couldn't even remember the last time she cried. Her throat felt dry as all her hidden feelings came out. "This heart belongs to you because she loved you so much. Not just as a "brother", but as someone she truly loved. I don't have the right to use this heart to love someone else!" Gale's hands were on her head. She fell down on the floor with her eyes closed and her hair being messed up by her hands.

Kasamatsu stood up from his chair and kneeled down. He patted her head gently. "… You're the real idiot. She gave you her heart so you could at least try to treasure your life more. She was always an annoyingly happy girl. We both knew that she would die, but that didn't stop her from being happy. You, on the other hand, merely waited for your death each day in your life. Knowing that girl, she probably gave you that heart so you could use it for your own happiness. She's free now, Gale."

Gale looked up, only to see Kasamatsu with a contented smile on his face. "I'm happy, Gale."


	10. Chapter 10 Your Number Zero Fan

**I'll be ending this story in the next chapter. :D**

**To tell you the truth, I only made this as an experimental story. But I'll be trying to make a better one. **

**The sudden ending might not satisfy, so... yeah. It's a bit of a cliffhanger. DONT KILL ME. I'LL TRY TO MAKE A BETTER ONE.**

* * *

"Hey, there!" Gale greeted the little dog. Number 2 ran to her while barking. His tail was wagging and stood on his two legs, begging to be carried. She picked the little husky up, trying to prevent him from licking her face but to no avail. "You're getting so big now! You'll be a big strong snow dog when you grow up! Ah, then that means we have to buy you a new jersey… it's too bad you can't be in both Kaijo and Seirin at once…" She kissed his forehead and hugged him closer.

Kuroko appeared before them. The usual, not even Gale noticed her cousin in front of her. "… ACK! How long have you been there?" She freaked out, almost dropping Number 2. "I've been here since you called Number 2 over." He calmly answered, not even batting an eyelash. "Geez, you scared me! Anyways, congratulations! I told you can beat Yosen! Hey, do you think Murasakibara suffers from gigantism? He's only 16 and he's so large! As far as I know, males at 16 years of age can still grow taller. Ack, just the thought terrifies me!" Gale shuddered at the thought of Murasakibara growing 7 foot 5 tall and dying early because of that growth problem.

"… Aren't you going to watch Kaijo play Fukuda High? They're at the stadium now." Kuroko reminded her. He took Number 2 from her arms. The dog whimpered for a bit. "… I'll watch. Of course I will, I'm their number zero fan!" Gale exclaimed. Her eyes were really bright and happiness was painted all over her face. "You only became their fan when that girl who gave you her heart told you all about them."

Gale grinned. She didn't get offended. She knew it was true, but still, she felt all warm deep inside her heart. "Yeah, but… I've grown to love them, you see. I'm especially close to Kise and Kasamatsu! Although I feel like my friendship with Kasamatsu is just one big trick…" Gale confessed. She grabbed Kuroko's arm as soon as Number 2 was put in his bag and they went in the stadium together. "That's not true. Even if you only befriended him because of your friend, you still wouldn't have been able to approach him easily. The point is, he called out to you while you were posting up posters in the school bulletin, right? It was an unexpected meeting." Kuroko assured her with a gentle smile on his face. His voice had a subtle bliss within its tone, although Gale was too dense to notice.

They made their way to the bleachers. "You're right… our meetings were not impossible, and that is because we all live under the same sky." Gale giggled like a little kid. "Oi, Kuroko! Over here!" Hyuga's voice called out. Kuroko spotted his team mates waving their hands for him to see. "… Ah, I think you should go to them. It's embarrassing for a girl from an opponent team to be with you guys." She whispered. Kuroko insisted on making her watch with them, so she just went along.

Kagami arrived afterwards. Gale noticed that it was just then when Kise entered the court, too. "… Was Kagami with him?" She whispered to herself. 

* * *

"I BELIEVE IN YOU, KISE-KUN!"

Everyone was dumbfounded. Where did that voice come from? Of course, it came from Kuroko but only those who feel his presence know. Kise was looking at the bleachers with wide eyes, although he was in a state of shock.

Gale hid her face. She has been blushing like mad since the start of the game and she didn't know why. "… Kise just looked… so…" She shivered. She was unable to watch the game properly. This was a real game and it was her first time seeing them play in an official battle. It was also the first time she saw Kise look so serious… it terrified her. "… and Haizaki also stole Kise's girlfriend back then." She could hear Kuroko talking about his days in Teiko. She—

Wait…

Kise's…

Girl… friend?

"… Huh? Who's the girl? Why did she leave Kise for that bastard? Is she dumb? I mean, just look at the comparison! Kise looks and acts waaaaaay better than that Haizaki bastard! What kind of stupid chick would actually let go of that blonde idiot? I mean, he may be an idiot, but look at how he's trying his best for his team! He may be conceited and very irresponsible and annoying and childish, but his flaws are still what make him a perfect Kise Ryouta! When I asked him to show me who he really is, he showed me how he copied the moves of a team mate and he also showed me a move of his own! He was amazing! And he's even more amazing on court now!" Gale suddenly started blabbering. Before she knew it, the whole Seirin team was gawking at her. "You like Kise?" Kiyoshi asked.

Gale was stunned. "No. I'm pretty sure I don't." She answered, her voice turning soft. "You're _pretty sure_?" Hyuga asked again. "You sound like you know a lot about him." Kagami suggested. Gale started blushing like crazy. "That's because he's easy to befriend!" She retorted.

Before anyone could tease her again, the game caught all their attention once again. "… Hey… Kise is…" Izuki's voice shook. "Is he… copying the Generation of Miracles?" Riko commented, her face all serious. At the mention of it, Gale stood up. Her face was filled with dread and fear. "… Oh, no…" She was shaking terribly. Her heart was beating rapidly and she was sweating. Kise blocked Haizaki's scoop shot, obviously by copying Murasakibara. "H-He even copied Murasakibara?" She heard one of Kuroko's team mates say.

Gale didn't even say anything in return. She was looking at the court with utter fear. She watched helplessly as Kise continued to turn the score over by copying the Generation of Miracles' basketball. Her hands clenched into fists as her nails painfully dug through her palms. She was staring at Kise's leg with horror. "He's injured…" She mumbled.

"WHAT? !" The Seirin basketball team all said in unison. Just then, Haizaki was in control of the ball. Gale saw it with her own eyes. Haizaki actually stepped on Kise's foot. "N-no way!" One of the Seirin members yelled. Gale gritted her teeth in anger. "… That bastard…" Her voice changed from being the lively, soft bells to that of a growling tiger. Her eyes were deadly – they look like shards of sharp icicles dancing with the blizzard. Her aura changed in an instant.

But Kise was still able to block Haizaki's incoming shot. Kise was able to steal the ball effortlessly. Gale looked away, her expression filled with bitterness. "… Are you okay?" Kuroko asked. Gale made eye contact with him, causing him to flinch due to the snowstorm inside her ice-cold eyes. A tinge of pink caught her attention. She looked at the back part of the bleachers and saw Momoi and Aomine.

The crowd started cheering. Kaijo won. Gale still did not look at the court. She ran towards the spot where Aomine and Momoi were watching. Kuroko decided not to follow her. He looked back at the court. Kise pumped his fists toward him and Kagami. Both men smiled with determination.

Before Gale could even reach them, Aomine left. Momoi saw Gale, exhausted from trying to get through the roaring crowd. "Ah, Yu-chan!" She held out her hand. Gale hesitatingly took it. It was true that she disliked Momoi, but it was also true that Momoi was one of the few friends she had back then. "I'm going to follow Dai-kun." Gale still had that deadly aura within her. It terrified Momoi. The pink-haired girl silently nodded. She watched Gale leave the stadium, worry enveloping her. "Be careful, Yu-chan, Dai-chan…" 

* * *

Gale was having trouble trying to find Aomine. It took her a while to find a place of solitude, where Aomine could possibly be. She arrived just in time. It felt like everything was in slow motion – Haizaki was falling to the ground, chances are due to the impact of Aomine's fist colliding with his face. "Let's see… now what should I do? Oh, well… guess it'll work out somehow…" He mumbled, trying to think of a way to make up an excuse as to why he just resolved it using violence.

"You didn't have to punch him that hard, idiot." Aomine turned around to see Gale, who had her right hand massaging her forehead and her left hand on her waist. "Aren't you supposed to celebrate your school's victory?" Aomine told her. Gale smirked, her clear blue eyes bore through Aomine's dark ones. "… I'm happy. Really. But the more he plays, the more his injury gets worse… sometimes, I wish he would just lose. For his own sake, but…"

Aomine's eyes narrowed. "Don't think like a fool. I know you're only worried, but Satsuki did something like that to me in the Interhigh. She asked our coach not to let me play after my game with Kise, so… I got angry. I mean, who the hell wouldn't?" He explained. Gale raised an eyebrow. "… We have things to settle, Gale. It's not your position to butt in. That's how men are." He pressed his hand against Gale's head.

She bit her lip, trying to prevent tears from coming out of her eyes. "Now get going. Your idols would get worried if you, their number zero fan, weren't there after an important victory." Aomine whispered. Gale's eyes closed tightly. She clutched her chest in pain. 

* * *

"Alright, get lots of rest! We're going to have a big day tomorrow! We have to give Seirin a good greeting!" Genta yelled out. "YEAH!" The Kaijo team answered with full confidence. Even after a long match, they still have their energy. Especially since Seirin's their next opponent.

They were all taking a quick break in the locker room before they go home. "By the way… I noticed that Gale looked away at the last part of the match." Moriyama pointed out. "YOU'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A GAME AND YOU STILL HAVE TIME TO CHECK THE AUDIENCE?" Hayakawa yelled out loud. Kasamatsu froze on the spot. Kise's eyes changed.

"Well… her face looked kind of disturbed. Then the next thing I know, she was trying to leave the stadium and she was talking to this cute woman… the manager of Touou, I think." Moriyama added.

Without a word, Kise dashed out of the room.


	11. Chapter 11 In the Endless Sky

She panted heavily, trying to ignore the two men who were there with her. Her hands clutched the basketball tightly, as if it was going to fall from her grasp. She started dribbling, her small hand unable to keep the ball in move. She looked at Aomine, who was blocking her. Her eyes were all blurry. She jumped, aiming for a three-pointer… and missing.

The ball bounced on the floor. Kuroko picked it up and threw it towards Gale. "Try one more." He told her. Gale failed to catch the ball as she was too tired and her eyesight was too blurry. She fell down to her knees. Both Aomine and Kuroko shook their heads. "… Satsuki must be waiting for me. I should get going…" The Touou ace bade goodbye. "I don't really want to butt into a cousin-to-cousin conversation." He added.

Kuroko immediately kneeled down. "You already know how to dribble and drive… Kasamatsu must have taught you well…" He commented. Gale looked up at him. Sweat was dripping from her forehead. Kuroko took out a towel and wiped the sweat of her face, worried that she might catch a cold. The winter air was especially cold tonight. "We'll continue tomorrow, then. Aomine-kun will surely try to teach you again." He said.

Gale exhaled. Kuroko heard her let out a small chuckle. She stood up and walked towards the basketball. "I'm not stupid." She picked up the ball and held it firmly. "I know my limits. I'm 154 centimeters tall. I can't dunk. I have poor leg strength and blurry eyesight. I can't do three-pointers. My lungs are weak. My heart has yet to fully get used to this body. I'm anemic. Time will come; I'll lose control of this body." She said. Kuroko stood up, unable to understand. It was like she was back to her old self – the Gale who lived every day, thinking about her future death.

He was about to say something, but Gale started laughing. "But even if I'm cursed with this kind of body, I'm still happy. I don't regret meeting the Kaijo team. The Seirin team, too. Also the Touou team. I'm happy because even if it was _her_ wish, I was the one who experienced it. I lived through it. It's selfish to think that way, but… it was fun. Kasamatsu was a great man. I'm not surprised that she loved him so much. Kise is _amazing_. Even though he's the playboy type he seems so full of himself, it's not hard falling for him, either." She said, her voice filled with bliss. Tetsuya Number 2 started barking in agreement.

Gale was once again, looking up at the sky. Kuroko smiled, the uneasiness was finally lifted up from his heart. "I'm glad you realized that." He replied. Gale's hair shone brightly. The sky had many stars tonight and it pleased her. "The first time I met Kise… the bleachers… he just looked so peaceful. I admit, it was so annoying, meeting him time after time, and he was saving me in our every encounter for the heck of it. His smile killed me. His naivety annoyed me. But…" She mumbled.

Kuroko waited patiently for her to continue. He noticed her hands gripping the ball with such force. "When I saw him play… I saw light. No, it wasn't light. Fireworks. Yes, I saw fireworks. It was as if he didn't play just to show me what he can do. He played because he wanted to show me how he lived. It was amazing. It was a breath-taking sight. And every day of my life, each moment I had with Kasamatsu, all I could think about was his smile and freedom." She bit her lip, trying to prevent it from trembling. "I was with Kasamatsu because of _her_, but this heart desperately wanted to learn how to love someone on my own. I was with Kasamatsu, but my thoughts were on a different person. Stupid, isn't it?"

She stopped talking for a while. A cold breeze enveloped the court, engulfing them both. Kuroko bowed down his head. "… You wanted to love Kise. I knew that from the start. That's because you think that your life is not yours, that's why you forced yourself to love Kasamatsu, although you only admire him for his basketball. You are not her, Gale." Kuroko reminded her. Gale quickly turned her head to look at him. "… I don't know about that, Ya-chan." She said.

Kuroko looked into her eyes once again. "Then what do you know about yourself?" He asked, trying to make her realize on her own. She tilted her head and turned her back towards Kuroko again. She was now playing with the basketball absentmindedly. "I'm dense. I can't feel a thing. Or maybe I just don't know what to feel." She admitted. "My wishes are for real. I want to train my body's endurance, that's why I wanted to learn basketball. I want to live my life, enjoying every bit of it. I want to know happiness." She added, her fingers now trembling against the orange leather of the ball. "Honestly, though, the only times when I see you naturally smiling are when you're with Kise. You may have little interaction since it's only all about Kasamatsu, but… stop being dense." Kuroko finally snapped.

Gale accidentally dropped the ball. The ball rolled down to Kuroko's feet. The Phantom Man picked up the ball and proceeded to walk away. "Let's go home."

* * *

They walked home in silence. Even Tetsuya Number 2 wasn't barking or anything. As soon as Kuroko reached the door, he dug out the keys from his bag and inserted it in the keyhole. It took him a while to open the door. Gale's eyes wandered up to the sky. There were so many stars.

A petal crossed her line of sight. She blinked, unable to process in her mind what she saw. Another petal came by. And another. The petals were pure white, like snow. The petals contrasted with the dark blue sky and it complemented the silver stars all over. She was wonderstruck. "That's your favorite flower, right? Well, you are named after that flower, after all. The snowdrop. _Galanthus_." Kuroko snapped her from her trance. She looked at him and was surprised to see a smile on his face. "Go ahead." He told her.

Gale nodded. She looked up at the sky once again and gasped at the beautiful sight. The snowdrops looked like real snow falling from the sky. She ran to the direction opposite of the breeze that brought the snowdrops there. Her heartbeat raced and her skin was crawling with excitement, fear, and pure happiness.

Their garden. It was carpeted by pure white flowers. Her lips trembled and she didn't know what to feel anymore. "… Where did all these—" She walked along the snowy path of flowers, admiring the sight. It felt so peaceful. Her heart was at ease and her mind became relaxed. Her eyes were even more astounded at the next thing she saw.

Blonde hair.

Perfect blonde hair.

There he was, asleep amidst the white flowers. She slowly walked towards him and kneeled. Her right hand caressed his cheek as he lay on the fields of snowdrops. "… I will never understand you." She whispered. Kise's eyes started opening. His vision was blurred at first, but the first thing he saw was the clear blue sky – no, those were Gale's eyes.

It was the same scenario back in the bleachers.

"Don't fall asleep here. You'll catch a cold." She told him. She was trying to prevent her laughter. Kise watched her. His expression was like that of an innocent child. He sat upright and rubbed the back of his head before turning to Gale and letting out his annoying smile. "This feels like when we first met." He told her. Gale nodded. Kise held out his fist and Gale bumped it with hers – the brofist.

"I'll go tell Ya-chan that you're here." Gale said. She stood up and started running back to the front door. "Wait, Snowy!" Kise called out. Gale immediately stopped. She turned around to face him once again. He stood up slowly and dusted off the petals on his clothes. He ran his hands through his hair which fit his perfect princely image and put his hands in his pockets right after. "I'll be head over heels over you one day."

Gale felt her heart skip a beat. She was unable to move from her spot. She felt dizzy and she didn't know what just happened. "It may not be today, but… I _will_ completely fall in love with you. I'm already falling for you now, who's to say I could stop myself? I'll bring you to the edges of the Earth if it means granting your wishes." Kise continued. He started walking towards her, which only made Gale more nervous than she already was. "Wishes? The only wish I remembered telling you about was making Kasamatsu happy." She was able to say.

"Which is why I agreed to help, right? Even if your happiness is for someone else, even if your smile is not meant for me, I'll still grant your wishes. Your smile is the most beautiful. Even if you were clearly annoyed by my presence before and disliked my popularity, you continued to see me as myself. Not some random model. Not some ace of the basketball team. You didn't even know who I was. I admit, it frustrated me. But, I must say, if you were to love me back, it would be the most beautiful blessing God has ever given me."

Gale was smiling. The pained look on her face didn't go away, but she was smiling. "This isn't the real me. I used to be a girl who gave up her li—" "I heard it all. I followed Kasamatsu-senpai to the hospital back then. Aominecchi was surprised to see me there when he went out the room, but I asked him not to tell you." Kise interrupted her before she could finish.

The wind howled and the petals were dancing wildly in the air. "… Who's to say you're not the real Gale? Weren't you the one who told me that no matter how many times I copy someone else, I'm still Kise Ryouta? How about applying that to yourself? No matter who you were or what you become, you're Gale. Aren't you?" Kise stopped walking as soon as he reached her. Her eyes were already moist. Tears will come out sooner or later.

"Idiot! Even if I fall in love with you, I'll forget! I'm too dense to know what to feel." She admitted. She bowed down her head and closed her eyes, letting the tears fall down on the white carpet of blossoms. "A girl has never turned me down before. You'll fall in love with me, too. Even if you forget your feelings, I'll make you fall in love with me every day. And every day, you'll see snowdrops flying by your window and then you'll remember what happened. You'll remember how I saved you on the bleachers. You'll remember when I brought you to the hospital when you got an asthma attack in the fast food chain. You'll remember how you asked me to show you who I really am. Then each time you remember, you'll end up falling in love with me again."

Gale still wasn't able to understand, as she was too ignorant and dense. But she still feels the wonderful fluttery feeling in her chest that she couldn't explain. "If I die? Will you live for me?" She asked. Kise sighed, wondering what he would say to make her believe. "I won't live for you. I'll live with you. You won't die."

Suddenly, he pulled her into an embrace. Gale shivered, realizing how cold it was during this time of the year. Kise felt really warm and she couldn't help but snuggle herself into his warm hug. She hugged back and burst into loud sobbing. "Even against the population of the whole world, we still found each other. The sky is amazing. It connects us." He assured her, his voice gentle and soft, sounding like music to her ears. "You annoying idiot… we have little encounters compared to my and Kasamatsu's. You don't know me so well." She cried. Kise smiled, breathing in the scent of her hair. She smelled like watermelons. 

_**"I have the rest of my life to know you."**_


End file.
